Perfect Reflection
by FriendsLovers
Summary: Lindsay discovers a family secret which leads her to discover more about herself. - DL, with Eva Rossi from Medical Investigation
1. Chapter 1

**Perfect Reflection**

**Summary: Lindsay discovers a family secret which leads her to discover more about herself. - DL, with Eva Rossi from Medical Investigation**

**Author's note: This isn't a crossover with Medical Investigation. I'm just using Eva Rossi for this fic. There might also be some changes to original storylines, so just see it as some kind of AU story. You don't need to know the show to read this fic; what you need to know will be in the chapters. Huge thanks to **_**afrozenheart412**_** (thanks for kicking my butt to write and post this fic), **_**Hylen**_**, **_**Andie24 **_**and **_**lily moonlight **_**(thanks for the summary) for discussing this fic idea with me, for helping me and for supporting me with it! Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything. I don't own CSI:NY. I don't own Medical Investigation.**

**Rating: T**

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**It was one of those beautiful Sunday mornings in New York City. In the mid of summer, the bright sun was shining in the deep blue sky. The streets were filled with cars, half of them the famous yellow cabs. Almost the whole city seemed to be out on the sidewalks, busy with window shopping, chatting or chasing after their dogs. It was a normal day for all of them. For Eva Rossi, it wasn't.

Eva was sitting in her car for at least an hour now. Still she hadn't found the courage to leave it and step over to the tall apartment building she had parked in front of. Once again she checked the address, printed on the paper she was holding tightly in her hands. It was correct. She had parked at right the place she wanted to be. But still something was holding her back.

Ever since the day Eva had learnt that she had been adopted as an infant, she had felt the strong urge to find out where she was coming from. There were so many questions spinning in her mind. Why did her parents want her to be adopted? Why did they send her away? Where were her parents living now? Did she have any siblings? And what would they think of the person she was now?

All those questions had always been there. Never she had dared to try and find answers for them. Instead she had tried to work even harder, to have a successful career, always running after something she didn't even know what it was. She had kept people on arms length, not wanting them to get too close to her. Throwing herself into work and avoiding anything that could remind her of the wish to know more about her real family had worked at first. And then had worked less and less.

The worst moment had been when she and the team of the National Institute of Health had to head to a small town in Mexico. There she had found this young boy; obviously an orphan. Immediately she had felt a close connection to him, which had led her to a point where she had been ready and willing to adopt him. Until she had found out there were still living relatives. Relatives that would take care of him. And once again she had been alone.

Possibly this experience had been what Eva had needed to wake up though. Over all those years she had tried to suppress her strong wish to find the answers for her questions. She needed a change. Finally she needed to follow her heart instead of ignoring her instinct. The experience with the little boy from Mexico had made her realise that there was still this huge, black hole deep inside her; something was missing and whatever it was, she had to find it.

Being someone who was determined to follow her plans, Eva hadn't hesitated to translate them into action. She couldn't deny going to her boss Connor to quit her job had been one of the most difficult steps. Knowing her, he had understood though, told her that she would always have the option to come back if she decided to. For the moment she should spend her time on finding the answers she needed though. Which was what she had done.

Now Eva was sitting there, in that car in the middle of a busy street in New York. Still she was staring at the tall building, with the facade made of red brick stones and the glass entrance door that was sparkling in the bright sunshine. Using her skills and connections, it hadn't taken her long to find out where her parents were living. Which had led to her finding out she had a sister who was currently living in New York. For Eva, this had been the chance she had been waiting for. New York had been closer to her location than the home of her parents. So she had followed her inner voice and had headed to the address she had gotten.

But still something was holding her back. There had been a couple of information she had gotten about her sister. But what would happen if the two of them actually met? What would happen if she walked up there, ring at her door and reveal a fact her sister possibly wasn't even aware of?

Sighing lightly, Eva glanced into the rare view mirror of her car. What she saw would reveal more than any DNA test could. But how would her sister react to that? There were a lot of different kinds of reactions Eva could imagine. But she wouldn't find out which of them would be correct if she stayed in her car or, even worse, would simply drive away again.

Releasing another light sigh, Eva took a deep breath. Then she finally managed to leave her car and made her way over to the entrance door of the apartment building she had been watching for the last hour. Hesitating for yet another brief moment, she rose her hand to ring the doorbell.

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Carefully and ever so slowly Lindsay moved to the edge of her bed, all the time glancing at Danny, who was lying in her bed, deep asleep obviously. At least the way he was lying on his back, arms spread wide, hardly covered by her soft blanket, revealed that to her. She needed to get up to head to the bathroom, but she didn't want her boyfriend to wake up because of her.

Almost she had managed to get up. She only needed to get her legs off the bed. But before her bare feet could get in contact with her laminated floor, she felt how all of the sudden, two arms wrapped around her waist. A shriek escaped her when she was pulled back onto the bed roughly.

"Where do you think you're going to?" Danny wanted to know, pinning her into the mattress while hovering above her now. Like always he had that teasing smirk plastered all over his face. Playfully she rolled her eyes at him, couldn't help but smile herself. She should have noticed him pretending to be asleep.

"I wanna go to the bathroom if that's okay to you," she answered. "Or do I need your permission first?"

Danny grinned at her, shrugging. "I wouldn't mind you to ask me first," he teased. "But couldn't you get up later? It's Sunday, why do you have to get up that early in the morning?"

"I could also ask you why you have to stay in bed til midday," Lindsay replied, playfully smacking his arm. "You wanna visit Louie today, you forgot? When do you wanna do that? Tonight?"

Danny sighed deeply. "I know I told you I wanna meet him, but actually I'm not in the mood for any family meeting."

"And why not? You should be glad you have a brother," Lindsay replied. "I wish I could see mine more often. Or even better, I wish I had a sister. It must be wonderful to have a sibling you can talk to about stuff that interests the both of you."

Danny chuckled. "It can also be hard I guess. You know, all those chick fights and stuff. Ouch." He rubbed his arm at where she had smacked him once again. "I got your point though. I am glad I have him and I'll visit him in the afternoon. Especially after all that Tanglewood drama and what he did for me, I should visit him as often as possible."

Lindsay nodded satisfied. "That's what I wanted to hear." She closed her arms around his neck and pulled him closer towards her. "And now lets enjoy the fact we're up already together."

Danny's grin widened and he cocked his eyebrows at his girlfriend. "I like the way your mind works."

With that he bent down and captured her lips in a gentle yet heated kiss. Lindsay couldn't help but smile against Danny's lips. She was well aware of the fact he had gotten exactly what he wanted again. Then again she didn't mind either. He was adorable when he acted like that, trying to get them into exactly this situation with his smirks and winks.

It was the shrill sound of her doorbell though that interrupted them. Pulling back, Danny gave Lindsay a surprised look. "Are you awaiting someone that early in the morning?" he wanted to know.

Lindsay shook her head. "No, I'm not expecting anyone."

"Fine then." Danny just shrugged, bending down to her to continue what they had been doing. "Then just ignore it."

But again Lindsay shook her head. Gently she started to push him down from her. "Come on, Danny. I can't just ignore there's someone wanting something. Just let me quickly check who's there."

Playfully sighing deeply, Danny allowed her to get up. "Alright. Go and look for your visitor, but hurry, okay? I wanna continue here."

Rolling her eyes at her boyfriend, Lindsay laughed. Quickly she slid into a tank top and pants before she headed to her front door. Stretching lightly, she made her way through the hallway, enjoying the way the early sunshine had already warmed the wooden floor.

Reaching the front door, she forgot to look through the peephole once again; something that was driving Danny crazy. Over and over he tended to tell her that she wasn't living in Montana anymore but in New York City, where there could also be a serial killer standing in front of her, not always a nice person. She knew he was right, but still she needed to get used to that.

The moment Lindsay opened her front door though, her eyes widened and if she hadn't been holding the doorhandle still in her hand, she would have possibly simply fainted at the sight in front of her. For a moment she thought she had to be dreaming. She blinked a few times, but the sight stayed the same. It felt like she was watching straight into a mirror reflection of herself.

"Lindsay Monroe?" the woman asked almost shyly. But Lindsay could still only stare at her. She seemed to be a perfect copy of herself, apart from the short dark brown hair and the fact she was wearing a tight, dark blue dress, sleeveless and reaching up to her knees. So almost a minute passed until she realised she had been asked a question.

"Yeah, that's me," she answered then. "Uh...sorry for...being so...surprised. May I ask...who are you?"

The woman blushed a bit, looking shyer by the second; something that actually didn't fit to her appearance. "My name is Eva Rossi," she answered. "I can imagine what you're thinking now. And how confused you are. Possibly just showing up here wasn't the best way to...try and get into contact with you."

Lindsay was still so stunned she could barely form a proper thought. Before she could open her mouth to answer though, she heard the noise of her bedroom door and Danny walking down the hallway as well.

"Montana, I thought you wanted to hurry," he said, stopping in his tracks the moment he saw their visitor. "Whoa."

Briefly glancing at Danny, Eva turned her attention back to Lindsay, who was still staring at her like she was dreaming.

"Possibly I should...come back another time. Or maybe call instead. I'm sorry for just turning up here and confusing you," she said, already turning around to head back to the elevators.

"No!" Lindsay exclaimed, louder than intended. With the wished effect though; Eva stopped and turned around to her again. "No, don't go. I mean...you know what's going on here, don't you?"

Eva nodded. "That I do, yes."

"Then...would you maybe like to come in and explain it to me?" Lindsay asked.

Eva hesitated for yet another moment. Then she sighed lightly and nodded. "I think that's a good idea."

Lindsay nodded in response. Stepping aside, she signalled Eva to enter her apartment. When the other woman did so, she glanced up at Danny. He was looking as surprised and confused as she was feeling. There was actually only one answer for the question that was spinning in her mind and even though she didn't admit it to herself yet, she knew exactly what she'd hear from her unexpected visitor.

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**Preview: How will Lindsay react to what Eva has to tell?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow, thank you so much for all those sweet reviews! And thank you so much to everyone who read the chapter and who added the fic! What a nice surprise to see you enjoy the story so far! Like I said before, this is kind of an AU fic, so not everything will be exactly the way things are in the shows. Special thanks to afrozenheart412, MoonWitch, CSINYmanic, mjels, Andie24, DantanaMM, saderia, webdlfan, Hylen, Desiree1989, Jupitor's-Cowgirl, SMacked Hard, Rike and lily moonlight!**

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Following Eva and Danny back into her apartment, Lindsay felt like she was dreaming; a strange dream that could make sense but didn't make any sense to her at the moment. She felt like in one of those movies where all of the sudden people met who had never met before and felt like they were looking straight into a mirror. Usually those persons found out that they were twins during those movies.

But was that possible? Was there any way that Eva Rossi was her twin sister? Never her mother had mentioned a twin sister and Lindsay also didn't understand why her mother should have kept her but given the other baby away. Then again many families had strange secrets no one knew about and in fact what she saw was more an answer than any word, any document or any DNA test.

They had arrived in the living room now. There was an awkward tension between all of them. All of them knew what exactly was happening, neither of them knew how to talk about it.

"Do you...maybe want something to drink? Or breakfast? Or anything else?" Lindsay asked then.

"Oh, thanks, that's really nice, but I already had breakfast," Eva answered, smiling lightly. Even though Lindsay knew her for not more than just a few minutes, she could clearly feel what was going on inside the other woman now. And even though she didn't know why, she already felt a certain kind of connection to her. Lindsay couldn't describe it yet, but it was a feeling that both, amazed and confused her.

And once again they were silent. A situation like that wasn't something one could always be prepared for. Even Eva, who had made the first step, seemed to be overwhelmed by what was happening and also didn't know what exactly to say. Finding out what she had been searching for had been impressive, in fact standing in front of the person was something completely different.

Watching the two women in front of him, Danny wondered if his eyes had become so bad that he was seeing everything twice now. He didn't need much imagination to know that there was only one way how two people could look like the perfect copy of each other; they had to be twins. He could only imagine what was going on inside Lindsay's mind at the moment. What exactly was going on though they wouldn't find out if they stayed silent like that.

"So, before we keep on standing here all day, maybe the two of you should just sit down and I head to the kitchen and make breakfast?" he suggested then, causing both women to snap out of their almost dream-like shape.

"I think that's a good idea," Lindsay agreed. Giving her a warm smile, he nodded lightly before he headed into the kitchen. From there he still had a view into the living room and he could hear what the two women would be talking about. Still they had some privacy to clarify their current situation.

Still with a lot of hesitation in their actions, Lindsay and Eva sat down on the living room couch. Still both of them were unsure on how to make the first step, how to start the conversation and discuss the questions that were so needed to be answered.

"I think sitting here and being silent won't help either," Eva said then.

Lindsay chuckled. "That's true. I have to say...I'm a bit overwhelmed here. I didn't see that coming."

Eva nodded. "I can imagine, and I'm sorry because of that. I shouldn't have just come over to your place and practically unloaded all that on you without you being prepared for it."

"So...that means...you and me..." Lindsay didn't know how to express what she wanted to say. In fact there was only one thing she had to say. She and Eva had to be twins. There was no other explanation, and no other reason why the woman would show up at her place. Still this idea was so surreal to her that she wasn't able to speak it out yet.

Once again Eva nodded. "We're twins. Identical twins obviously." She smiled lightly, looking down at the paper which she was still holding. "I think you...didn't know anything about me then?"

Lindsay shook her head. "No...no, not at all. No one ever mentioned that I...have a twin sister. My parents never said a word about that." She chuckled lightly, trying to hide her steadily increasing confusion. "I don't think we need to do any kind of DNA test to know that it's the truth I guess."

"I think it's pretty obvious, yes," Eva agreed. Lindsay could see how uncomfortable she was feeling. There was even a tiny hint of guilt in those dark brown eyes that mirrored hers so perfectly. Guilt because she had overwhelmed her with news she hadn't been away of at all.

"How did you find that out?" Lindsay wanted to know. There were so many questions spinning in her mind; most of those were directed to her parents though. She had a twin sister. Why didn't she know about that? Why did her twin have to show up at her place to tell her about this fact? And why had they been apart from each other in the first place? All those questions Eva possibly had as well and she wouldn't be able to answer them.

"I finally wanted to know where I'm coming from," Eva answered. "I knew that I've been adopted since my early childhood. My parents never tried to hide that in front of me, not wanting me to get a shock when I grew up and found it out then, because they were convinced that one day I would find it out."

"Do they know you're trying to find your biological family?" Lindsay asked.

Eva nodded. "Yeah. I asked them if they couldn't tell me anything about my biological parents, but they didn't have the names either. They were fine with my decision, because they knew I would try to find them one day. So I used some connections I got due to my job and indeed I found out where my parents are living. And that I have a sister. Born at the same day." With that she handed the paper over to Lindsay.

Carefully Lindsay took the paper, a little grey already. Every word she read caused her heart to beat faster. In front of her she found a couple of information about Eva, about her own parents and about herself. According to what she could read there, her twin sister had been adopted as an infant and had been given away at the date of their birth.

Reading through the paper, Lindsay couldn't hold back the tears that were rising in her eyes. Nothing in the behaviour of her parents had ever revealed they were hiding such a family secret in front of her. A family secret that involved her as well. She had been born with an identical twin sister, but never had been allowed to meet her. For whatever reasons, her parents had decided to keep her and give Eva away, who had spent her life as an adopted child until now.

"I had absolutely no idea," she whispered then, shaking her head in disbelief. "Never anyone dropped any hint about you. I can't believe they hid something like that in front of me. I...can't even understand why...all that happened in the first place."

Lindsay looked up at Eva, the first tear rolling down her cheek. Next to her she found her identical twin, watching her with exactly the same emotional expression. It was the moment when Lindsay understood the way she had felt towards the other woman moments earlier. Somehow there had always been something she had missed. Possibly it had been the fact that she had been apart from her all those years? It would be an explanation.

"I think we won't know why exactly...our parents made this decision until we get to talk to them. If that's what you want as well," Eva answered.

"Of course I want that," Lindsay replied. "I want to know why I didn't know I have a twin sister until you showed up here." She released a light sigh. There had been a lot of difficult situations she had to go through in the past. Never she had expected that one day a moment like that would happen. There were no instructions for how to react when all of the sudden you learn you have a sister you didn't know of. Something Lindsay had learnt over the years though. The best decision in such situations was to follow the heart and her instinct.

"So...now that you found me, even though there are so many unanswered questions, maybe we could at least...start to get to know each other a bit before we look for answers?" she suggested then.

Eva smiled at Lindsay's question and for the first time since her sister had arrived at her place, she could see the hint of relief in her eyes. She could imagine how Eva must have felt the moment she had decided to visit her; she had no idea whether Lindsay knew about her or not. Or how she would react to her. The risk to be pushed away had been high. But the more time Lindsay spent with thinking about the fact that the woman in front of her was the sister she had somehow always been longing for, the more she felt a surprising warmth to rise inside her.

"I think I know more about you already than you know about me," Eva said then. "So far I know that you were born in Bozeman, Montana, just like me. You grew up there and later went to the police academy. You worked as a CSI in Bozeman for three years before you moved here and started to work for the New York Crime lab."

Lindsay couldn't help the smile that lit her face at this short but correct description. "It's scary to know that you can find out all that about me," she replied, which caused Eva to chuckle. "There's more I can tell you about me though. But...why don't you tell me some facts about yourself?"

Eva nodded. Her former shyness and insecurity seemed to shrink with every passing moment. "Like you, I've been born in Montana. I was adopted by a family in Washington DC. I've grown up as the child of Dana and Frank Rossi. I've had a couple of jobs before, neither of them really worth to be mentioned. For a while I worked at the stock exchange, you know, with all the big firms and their big money. But after a while I realised that this isn't what I want to do and this was when I transferred to the National Institute of Health. There I've worked until a few weeks ago. I might go back one day; it was a wonderful team and I know I can go back whenever I want to. I decided to quit the job though, so I had the chance to find my family." Smiling lightly, she added, "That's the very short version of my biography."

Lindsay's smile widened. "I think there's a lot we have to talk about. A lot to learn about each other."

"I have a lot of time," Eva answered, smiling back at her sister.

Meanwhile Danny was still in the kitchen. While preparing breakfast, he had paid close attention to what the two women in the living room were talking about. A smile had lit his face at the conversation that had just started. Lindsay and Eva both seemed to have the wish to get to know each other better. Still both twins had no idea why they had been separated as children. But even though getting answers for those questions wouldn't be easy, they seemed to at least want to make careful attempts at increasing the already existing bond between them. He couldn't deny he was curious to see what would happen next and how both of them would deal with having a twin sister now.

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**Preview: Lindsay and Danny spend the day with Eva to get to know each other better.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Wow, thank you so much for those wonderful reviews again! You know how to make me smile, don't you? Thanks also for reading and for adding this fic! I decided that I want to continue this fic for a while. So I want Danny and Lindsay to have Lucy in this fic as well, and I want Eva to get together with one of the team members. You can guess with who already. Just a hint; it's not as obvious as it seems to be. Special thanks to saderia, Andie24, Rike, uscrocks, Desiree1989, SMacked Hard, jennifer32485, Hylen, afrozenheart412, DantanaMM and Jupitor's-Cowgirl!**

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With an amused smile, Danny was listening to Lindsay and Eva in the living room. Even though those two had met for the first time only a couple of moments earlier, they were talking like they knew each other for a much longer time. He couldn't imagine how one would feel after finding out they had a secret twin sibling. Also he wondered why his girlfriend's family had kept those information away from her and why they had given one of the two babies away in the first place.

But so far no one of them had answers for those questions. It was the two women's business and he wouldn't interfere. They would find a way to get those answers. At the moment it was possibly more important that the two sisters got to know each other better. So many years, even decades they had been separate. Danny had heard that twins, especially identical twins, had a special connection. He wondered if somehow Lindsay had already felt something wasn't the way it was supposed to be. Had she felt that there was something, or better said someone, missing?

Danny had to admit the whole situation was getting very exciting, even for him. He didn't even want to try to imagine how Lindsay and Eva were feeling. Surely it hadn't been easy for Eva to know she had been adopted and he could only imagine how scared she possibly had been when she had decided to meet members of her family. Lindsay had no idea what secret her family was hiding and he was sure those news had been a big shock for her. He wished he knew what he could do or say to make things easier for her, but never he had imagined to get into such a situation. So he decided to just do what he usually did; to follow his instinct and simply to what said instinct told him to do.

So he grabbed the plates filled with food and headed back into the living room. "Ladies," he said then, flashing them his best smirk. "I really don't wanna interrupt the conversation and getting to know each other better moments, but I'm really hungry. I've loads of food and coffee here, would that lure you over to the dining table maybe?"

Looking at Danny, Lindsay met his gaze. There was again that smirk which she wished to just slap off his face, but in his eyes she found the silent support which she liked about him so much. In every possible situation he would support her. Which was what he had done when they had been in Montana due to her testimony. She was grateful to know he was at her place at the moment, even though she wasn't sure how he was feeling now that he was confronted with a family secret she hadn't even known about herself. It was good to have a familiar person around though and knowing Danny he was the perfect person for easing the tension of the situation.

"Maybe you could also finally introduce me," he added.

Lindsay chuckled. Playfully rolling her eyes, she turned back to Eva. "That's my boyfriend, Danny Messer," she explained. "He's my co-worker and well...obviously somewhere along the line there happened more between us. Sometimes he's driving me insane; you'll understand if you know him for a while."

Eva laughed. "I can imagine that's gonna be interesting." To Danny, she added, "I'm sure from in there you could hear most parts of the story so you might know who I am by now."

Danny chuckled. "That I do. So did you change your mind about breakfast now?"

Eva winked at him. "I think now that I can smell that infamous breakfast, I think I'm getting hungry as well."

Laughing at the comment, Danny shook his head in amusement. Seeing the two identical twins sitting on the couch, both of them watching him with those almost identical smirks was a sight he would have to keep in mind. Somehow twins always had impressed him; the thought that two versions of the same person could exist was a stunning idea. He could imagine there were a couple of differences between the two sisters. They also had a lot in common; not only the appearance. He couldn't deny he was getting excited by finding out how similar they really were. And also a bit nervous by the thought of being around a perfect copy of his loving but also teasing girlfriend.

While Danny headed back into the kitchen to get the rest of the food, Lindsay exchanged a glance with Eva. Still she was quite overwhelmed by the current situation. Everything was happening so fast. A few minutes earlier the day had started like every other day. Now she suddenly knew that her family had a huge secret which she hadn't been the slightest bit aware of; a huge shock which she had problems with simply pushing aside. All those years she had been lied at, hadn't known that out there she had her twin sister, living as an adopted child. Now said sister was sitting next to her. And all of the sudden they were all acting like it was the most normal situation in the world.

"It's one big confusion, isn't it?" Eva said then, like she had read her sister's mind. "I have to confess I still don't know what to say or to do. I'm just...kinda overwhelmed. I was scared you'd get mad at me for just showing up here. I mean I expected that you didn't know about me. I didn't want to drop that on you and make you realise that...our parents have such a secret. I'm sorry about that."

"I think the last person who has to be sorry about that is you," Lindsay replied honestly. "I wonder what they'll tell us to explain that. You don't have to feel sorry. I wish you wouldn't have had to look for your biological family all by your own. I...just wish all that had never happened. I wish we would have been allowed to grow up together."

Eva nodded. She stayed silent, trying to get rid of the lump she could feel in her throat again. Many times she had felt lonely, especially due to the fact that she knew out there was her other family and possibly the siblings she had always wanted to have. So scared she had been when she had managed to make herself visit that sister; her twin sister even, not knowing what the other woman would do. Lindsay's reaction though had topped all her expectations. Even though her sister was shocked by the fact her family had been hiding her existence in front of her, she hadn't hesitated a second to welcome her. All of the sudden, within only minutes, she felt welcome, like she was about to become a part of the other woman's life. It was more than she had ever hoped for.

"And what are we going to do now?" Eva asked then. "I mean...there seem to be so much to do. Getting to know each other. Possibly trying to find out what really happened in the past. And...well, I just showed up here, I don't even know if you have time for all that sister bonding. If that's what you want in the first place."

Every word of Eva's speech was revealing her still present hesitation. Lindsay could understand her. Eva was willing to recreate the bond that had always been there, even though they hadn't even known about each other. It was the reason why she had looked for her in the first place. She couldn't know how much Lindsay was willing to deepen the contact. Even though Lindsay was still in a state of confusion, one thing she knew for sure.

"I think it's about time we make up for all the time we've been apart," she answered then. "I know there's a lot going to happen. But before I want to face our parents, I would be happy to get to know you better. There's so much I'd love to know about you. I want to see how similar we really are. I want you to meet my friends. And I want to meet yours. We've been apart for decades, we actually don't know each other at all. I've always wished to have a sister. Now I even have a twin. It's overwhelming, yeah. But it's wonderful as well. And exciting."

Once again Eva smiled relieved. Once again she nodded. "Yes, exciting it is."

Lindsay smiled back at her. Briefly she glanced at Danny, who had just entered the room again and had just sat down at the table. "I think the best is we start with breakfast, how does that sound to you?"

Eva chuckled, together with her sister getting up already. "I think that's good. Or Danny might slowly get mad at us if we don't finally taste his breakfast, right?"

Danny raised his eyebrows at the two laughing women. "Very funny. Great, does that mean I have to deal with two versions of teases now?" he asked.

"Aw, don't worry about that," Lindsay told him, giving him a gentle kiss before she sat down between him and Eva. "It's just the revenge for all that teasing I had to suffer because of you and Don." To Eva, she added, "Don Flack is another of our colleagues. He's just as bad as him here."

Eva laughed. "Then I'm already looking forward to meeting him. And your other friends as well."

Lindsay nodded, her smile widening. Once again she glanced at Danny, still seeing the support in his eyes. Still everything was so surreal, but it was too amazing and wonderful to make her be hesitant at all.  


* * *

Lindsay had to admit that Danny's idea to start the day with having breakfast with Eva had been a great idea. At first there had still been the hesitation and the strange tension between the three persons. Despite the fact she was a family member, Eva was still a stranger and both, Lindsay and Danny, needed to get to know her, just like she needed to get to know them. The best way to make that happen was pushing those awkward feelings aside and just act. Like they were currently doing.

"So you're not from New York then?" Danny asked, taking another huge bite of his toast.

Eva shook her head. "No, I've been living in Maryland until I decided to head to New York. I've been here for a couple of weeks already." She blushed lightly. "It took me a while to decide to contact you. It wasn't a difficult decision to move to this city though. I've been living in New York before and I loved it here. There's just something special about this city."

"That's what Lindsay always says as well," Danny replied, winking at his girlfriend.

Lindsay smiled at him before she turned her attention back to her sister. "So you found an apartment already?" she wanted to know.

Again Eva shook her head. "No. Without a decent job, it's not that easy to find an apartment I can actually pay if I don't want to live in a tiny room in the basement. I'm staying at a hotel at the moment. Which also isn't cheap, but it works for now."

Hearing her sister's answer, Lindsay briefly glanced at Danny. She found her boyfriend looking at her as well, knowing exactly what thoughts were running through her mind. Seeing the question in her eyes, he gave her a smile and a light nod in response.

"Why don't you stay here then?" she asked Eva after another short moment of hesitation.

Eva's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean here, at your place?"

Lindsay nodded. "Yes, if that'd be okay to you to live here with me. I have a spare room, I've used it as some kind of office so far. It's really not big but until you found a real apartment and maybe another job for the case you decide to stay here in the city, it should work. You wouldn't have to pay an expensive hotel room."

Surprised by the unexpected suggestion, Eva couldn't help but stare back at her sister for a couple of moments. Then she blushed bright red. "Wow, but...isn't that too soon for you?" she asked. "I mean, I just showed up here. You never saw me before. Or let's say...you never met me before."

"That's not entirely correct," Lindsay replied with a light smile. "Seriously, I'd love you to stay here until you find your own place and a job. It'd also be a fantastic way for us to get to know each other more in a short time. Just see it as you being my roommate. I'd be happy if you took my offer."

Once again Eva looked at her sister in silence for a while. Then a bright smile lit her face and she nodded. "That's a wonderful idea," she answered. "Thank you."

Danny, who had watched the entire conversation, couldn't help but smile himself. He was just witnessing the first careful attempts at bonding between the two sisters. It was wonderful to watch.

"I think we have a lot to do today then," he stepped in. "We'll get your stuff over here and if you really want to see family and friends, you and Lindsay could join me when I visit my brother later."

Danny's smile widened when he saw the surprised and grateful look Lindsay gave him at his suggestion.

"I like that idea a lot," Eva replied.

Lindsay nodded. Instinctively she reached out under the table, grabbing her boyfriend's hand. Danny gave her a warm smile again, squeezing her hand gently. During the last couple of hours, a lot had happened. All of the sudden she had a twin sister who soon would be living together with her. At first she had felt overwhelmed and confused. Now slowly she was getting more and more excited.  


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**Preview: Danny and Lindsay help Eva to move. Also she meets one of the team members already.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Wow, again thank you so much for those wonderful reviews! And also huge thanks to everyone for reading and for adding this stories to your favourites and alerts! Special thanks to afrozenheart412, saderia, zurrikan, Hylen, DantanaMM, Jupitor's-Cowgirl, Desiree1989 and ShadowWolfDagger!**

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**"Doesn't look like there'll be much to do," Danny said when he, Lindsay and Eva entered the hotel room the latter had been living in for the last few weeks. It could have also been an empty room; there were barely any signs that revealed that someone was in fact living in that room.

"Yeah, I didn't spend much time in here yet," Eva answered. "I was busy with finding one of my family members."

Lindsay smiled at the answer. "And now that you found me, you'll stay with me. You don't have to stay in such an...impersonal room."

"At least we don't have much to pack," Danny replied, setting the boxes he was carrying down onto the floor. "You didn't lie when you said you don't need more than one box for each of us. I don't even think you'll need those."

Eva laughed. "Don't be too sure about that, Danny." With that she stepped over to the near closet and opened it. Both, Danny and Lindsay stared at it, their eyes widening at what they got to see.

"Whoa," was all Danny managed to say. "What's that? Did you buy every single piece of clothes you could find in New York City?"

Grinning, Eva joined him at the closet. "If you think I'm one of those fashion victims, you're wrong. I needed all that stuff for my job. I haven't been working in a lab."

Danny raised an eyebrow at the huge amount of clothes in front of him. "Seriously, if you used those all for work, you never had to wear the same stuff twice during a year."

Watching her boyfriend's confusion with amusement, Lindsay shook her head and grabbed his arm to pull him away from the closet. "Let's just get all the clothes and the rest into the boxes so we can move it to my place, alright? You can stare at the dresses in awe after that if you're still in the mood."

Playfully, Danny rolled his eyes at her. "Very funny, Montana. You saw all that stuff? Some of those dresses I'd like to see on you as well."

While Lindsay blushed, Eva chuckled. "Thanks to the fact that we're practically identical, that shouldn't be a problem," she answered. With a smile she watched how the couple exchanged playful glares. During the few hours she had spent with those two, she had noticed the close bond that seemed to unite them. During breakfast, Danny and Lindsay had told her a short but still detailed version of the way they had met, had fallen in love and then gotten together after a couple of hindrances which they were going to explain to her sooner or later.

Eva couldn't deny she was still overwhelmed by what was happening around her at the moment. Only a couple of hours earlier, she had been sitting in her car, staring at the apartment building she was now just moving in, unsure on what to do. Should she stay and present herself to her sister? Should she just go again? It had taken her a lot of strength to actually go upstairs and ring at her sister's door, not sure how the other woman would react to the fact her family had hidden such a huge secret in front of her.

But despite everything Eva had expected, Lindsay had been more than welcome to her. Clearly she could feel her sister was shocked and that at the moment, she was trying to push this shock as far away as even possible. Lindsay hadn't been aware of what a huge secret her family was hiding. And that they had been lying at her for all those years. It was hurtful, so much Eva knew, and she could imagine how her sister was feeling.

Still Lindsay didn't show those feelings too clearly, not attacking her, her sister, for what had happened in the past. Instead she was more than willing to get to know her better. Eva hadn't expected her to be that open and welcoming, and especially not that her sister would offer her to stay at her place until she found a job and apartment herself.

Eva had to admit she was more than grateful for this suggestion; something she would have immediately been willing to do for her sister herself. So far she was unsure on what she was expecting from the future. Currently her highest goal was to create a bond between herself and Lindsay and to get to know her biological family better. She wasn't sure whether and when she wanted to go back to the NIH. She knew she had to get a job in New York though to pay an apartment.

For now she had her sister's support though, and the welcoming woman with her boyfriend who doesn't seem to be any different, made her feel a comfortable warmth rising inside her; something she had been longing for for so long and now was finally allowed to experience.

"Eva? Not to interrupt you in your thoughts, but maybe we should get started if we want to clear this room before midnight."

It was Danny's voice that caused her to snap out of her thoughts. She found him and Lindsay watching her, her sister once again with a friendly warmth in her eyes. Blushing lightly herself, she nodded.

"Yeah, of course. And we also wanted to visit your brother, if that's still up to date," she answered, stepping back to the indeed well filled closet.

"Of course it is," Lindsay answered. "The more people you get to know the better. You said you haven't been living in this city for such a long time. It'll be good for you to get to know many new people. Also I can't wait to see their faces when they find out there are two of us existing."

Eva laughed at just the thought of that. "We might have a lot of fun with that." She turned her attention to Danny. "And it's really okay to you if I get to meet your brother."

He nodded in response. "Sure. I mean, I was allowed to meet my girlfriend's new sister as well." He nodded his head towards the closet. "But now let's get that work done or we'll really have to stick in here for the next few days."

Still smiling, Eva turned her attention back to the closet. While Danny was fighting with the boxes, she caught the look Lindsay was giving her. The two of them had so much they had to talk about. Only hours ago they had met for the very first time. Already both sisters could feel a strong bond between them, not sure where it came from already. The next time would be exciting, for both of them, so much was for sure.

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Danny hadn't been wrong when he had wondered how long they would need to get all of the stuff they found in the hotel room into boxes. Indeed there wasn't that much more than clothes in Eva's hotel room. But still those and te other few things she owned were enough to keep them busy for a while. Lindsay didn't own half of the amount of clothes and somehow he couldn't deny he indeed hoped Eva was going to let her wear some of those dresses he had gotten to see.

Hours later, all boxes were stored in the car and they had finally been able to make their way back to the apartment building. Eva couldn't deny her excitement was increasing with every passing minute. She was glad she hadn't had any expectations when she had decided to visit her twin sister. Now she was about to move in with her and still she couldn't quite believe it.

The moment they had parked the large car in front of the apartment building, her excitement had gotten to a point where she had practically jumped out of the car. She didn't know this side about herself, but if she was honest she didn't care. She was experiencing something new, and possibly this gave her the chance to also learn a lot about herself. This excitement and happiness she hadn't felt in years, and it was an experience she was more than grateful for.

"Why do I always have to carry all that heavy stuff?" Danny whined while he tried to balance one of the three large boxes.

"Because you were so bold to offer that you should carry the heavy stuff because you're the man here," Lindsay replied with raised eyebrows and a broad grin that caused him to sigh.

"Yeah, yeah, make fun of me," he replied. "Back then I didn't know how heavy that damn box would be."

"If it's too heavy for you, you can also let me and Lindsay carry it," Eva suggested. She had to bite her tongue to not grin at the look he gave her in response.

"I'm fine, I carried much heavier stuff than that," he told her, causing Lindsay to laugh.

"Yeah, me for example, and back then you were complaining as well," she said with a wink at Eva. "Now hurry and get the box up there. The quicker you walk the quicker you can set it down again."

"Says the one with a box filled with shirts and blouses," Danny muttered, following his girlfriend's instructions though.

Shaking her head in amusement, Lindsay lifted her own box up into her arms and followed him. Once again Eva watched the couple, with a mix of amusement and awe. She was happy to see her sister in a relationship with a man who seemed to have so much in common with her. The teasing yet loving way the two interacted with each other caused her wish for experiencing something like that herself to increase.

There had been times when Eva hadn't been sure if she was interested in every becoming so close to a man that she would be together with him for years. Marriage had been a topic she had pushed so far away it had been something that almost seemed unrealistic to her. She couldn't see herself getting married any time soon.

While watching Lindsay and Danny together though, she had to admit that deep inside, the wish to have such a relationship herself was increasing again. There had been the opportunity for her to adopt the little Mexican boy, and while thinking about how life would be with a child, she had realised that the boy would have needed a father as well. A caring, loving man who would be at their side, who would support them. A man who she could laugh with as much as she could come to him when she needed comfort.

It had been the first time when she had realised how much she was longing for such a serious relationship as well. A man who loved her, the way she was and who she could love back. A man she could have her own little family with. The wish was there and she knew it and seeing her sister so close to having exactly that caused it to increase.

Still with a smile on her face, Eva bent down to pick her own box up to carry it inside. Barely she had managed to lift it up when a voice right behind her almost caused her to drop it again.

"Lindsay? Hey! What's it with that box, you and Danny moving in together?"

Needing a second to realise the question was directed to her, Eva turned around. She found herself locking eyes with a man who was standing right behind her now, a bright smile on his face, obviously doing exactly what she had expected; thinking she was her twin sister.

"Oh, you've been at the hairdressers?" the man asked, surprised at her appearance obviously. "The dark colour suits you well. Just as the clothes. Nice dress. You should wear that at work."

Eva bit her bottom lip to not laugh at the current situation and the surprise of the man who obviously knew Lindsay very well, and of course also had no idea that his friend had an identical twin sister. For a moment she felt the urge to keep the game going, then changed her mind though.

"I'm sorry I have to disappoint you, but I'm not the one you think I am," she replied then, trying to sound as serious as possible. "My name is Eva Rossi."

The man in front of her stared back at her, still with a smile but with a very obvious confusion as well. Not believing what he was seeing and what he was hearing, he needed a moment before his eyes widened in surprise the moment the moment he understood the only logical explanation for what was happening in front of him.

"What, you...that means..." he said, his voice trailing off at the sudden and very unexpected news.

Eva chuckled. "Let me guess, you're surely one of Lindsay's co-workers? I'm sorry for confusing you. My sister and I actually planned those introductions in another way."

"So...your sister? Identical twins I guess? Wow." The man in front of her was still fighting with the information he had just gotten. "She never mentioned she had a sister, especially not a twin."

Eva couldn't help but blush lightly. This was the point where the conversation got difficult. "Well, she didn't know about me. Until today. It's a very long story," she explained.

"I bet." Once again the man stared at her in silence, his mind trying to process the for him more than surprising news. Then, snapping out of his thoughts all of the sudden, he shook his head to clear his mind before he spoke again. "I'm so sorry, how rude of me. Miss Rossi, I'm happy to meet you. Like you said, I'm a colleague and friend of Lindsay. I'm Sheldon Hawkes."

Had she been blushing before, Eva couldn't help but smile now. Still she could see the confusion in the other person's eyes. But apart from that she also found a friendliness in Sheldon's eyes that immediately made her like him. Even though the man didn't know her at all and didn't know anything about the story behind those news, he was just as welcome as Danny and Lindsay had been before.

"Nice to meet you, Mr Hawkes," she answered, shaking the offered hand.

"Oh, please call me Sheldon," he told her. "Or just Hawkes is fine as well."

"I think I like Sheldon better," she replied with a tiny wink. "But only if you call me Eva."

Sheldon nodded. Still he was surprised and confused by what he had just experienced. Who would have expected to meet a perfect copy of his friend? "So, that box...allow me to guess now, are you moving in here?"

Eva nodded in response. "Yes. Again all that is a very long story. But if you have time and if it's fine to my sister, I could share it with you."

Sheldon smiled at the suggestion. "I would be more than happy if you did so." With that he simply grabbed the box she was still holding. "Then what do you say? I'll help you with that box if you start your story?"

Eva laughed. "I'd also tell you more if you didn't carry that box for me."

Sheldon winked at her. "Just allow me to be a gentleman," he told her. "Also I was on my way to meet Danny and Lindsay anyways, so that's a great opportunity."

"Fine." Still smiling, Eva followed Sheldon over to the entrance door of the apartment building. "Then I'd start at the very beginning I think."

And with that Eva started to tell while she followed Sheldon up to her sister's apartment. Had she been hesitant and nervous before, now all she was feeling was excitement. So far everyone she had met had been more than welcoming. Danny and Lindsay were acting like they knew her for years already. And Sheldon was showing so much friendliness that she couldn't help but wish the two of them would get the chance to see each other more open. If all people she was going to meet soon were as welcoming as those she had met already, she was more than willing to stay in the city.

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**Preview: Danny, Lindsay, Hawkes and Eva spend some time together.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey! Does anyone remember this story? ;) I feel so bad because I didn't update it for such a long time. But the muse needed some inspiration and somehow she got it finally. So this means I will continue this fic and I hope you'll like it! Thanks to everyone for the wonderful reviews, I hope you'll continue letting me know what you think! Special thanks to ShadowWolfDagger, afrozenheart412, SMacked Hard, saderia, Desiree1989 and sjwht!**

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**With amusement Lindsay watched Danny carrying the large box into the room that had been her office so far. Now Eva, her twin sister, would stay in this room until she found an own place and a job. Still her boyfriend was complaining because of the in his eyes heavy box. Like she had reminded him though, it had been him who had offered to take the one box that was filled with books, files and things like that while the two women took care of the clothes filled boxes.

"I'll never carry something that heavy again," he whined playfully, with a deep sigh dropping the box onto the floor. He let his eyes wander through the room. "You think a couch will be okay to her?"

Lindsay shrugged. "It seemed like she was already surprised by just the prospect of moving in with me."

"So was I," Danny answered. Turning around to her, he found Lindsay blushing.

"Do you think it wasn't a good idea?" she wanted to know.

"Do you have doubts?" Danny asked back.

Lindsay shook her head without hesitation. "No, I don't have any doubts at all," she answered honestly. "Even though it might sound crazy to you."

"Why do you think it sounds crazy to me?" Danny reached out to her, gently grabbing on of her hands to pull her over to the sleeping couch at one wall of the room.

Sitting down with him, Lindsay shrugged. "I don't know. Because I asked her to stay at my place so quickly. Because we act like we know each other for years already even though we just met a few hours ago."

"Which isn't that correct actually," Danny replied. Gently resting his arm around her shoulder, he pulled her closer. Feeling how she rested her head against his shoulder, releasing a soft sigh, he could sense the emotions inside her; a furious pool of every possible kind of emotions. "Are you alright?"

"Sure," Lindsay answered. Seeing the look Danny gave her though, she sighed lightly. "Alright. I'm...just quite overwhelmed. I mean...this is the last thing I expected, you know."

Danny nodded. Reaching out, he took one of her hands into his, gently squeezing it to signal his support. "It's surely a strange feeling to know that you have a twin sister."

"And that your family gave her away as a baby and kept you and then never told you about it," she added quietly. It had been one sentence, but the way she had said it, revealed to Danny what she was really feeling. He could hear the mix of emotions in her voice; anger, confusion and guilt.

"I don't think speculating will really help you here," he told her softly. "We don't know why your parents made this decision. But I don't want you to feel bad because of that. It wasn't your decision, it wasn't because of you. Your parents decided that. They have to explain why they did that."

Lindsay sighed lightly. "I know. I just wish we would have been able to grow up together. I had a wonderful childhood in Montana, while she grew up in another family, knowing that somewhere out there she had another family."

"Sure, but from what she said the couple that adopted her seemed to have given her a lot of love," Danny replied. "I can understand you, Montana, but until you get to talk to your parents, you shouldn't torture yourself with all those thoughts. Look, she came here because she wanted to meet her sister. Now she's moving in here as your roommate. The two of you will get the chance to be sisters. I know, this won't change all the years you've been apart. But now she has the chance to be really close to you. And didn't you always wish to have a sister? Now you have her."

Even though the mixed feelings were still having an overwhelming effect on her, Lindsay couldn't help but chuckle at her boyfriend's answer. "You know what to say and when to say it, don't you?" she asked, placing a kiss onto his cheek. "Just like earlier. You've been easing the situation a lot."

Smiling back at her, Danny kissed her back. "I thought maybe it's good if someone's there who's not directly involved."

With her smile widening, Lindsay snuggled closer against him. "That's very true. It worked well." She smiled lightly. "I have to say, apart from the fact I'm still shocked in some ways, I'm really getting excited. I mean, I'm having a sister now. A twin even! I'm glad she's living here now. It's the best opportunity to learn more about each other."

Danny nodded in agreement. "And a great way for the two of you to tease your poor boyfriend and colleagues. Twins always have this urge to switch roles, don't they?"

Laughing at his question, Lindsay shook her head at her boyfriend. "Don't worry, we won't do that to poor you." Once again she kissed him gently. "Thanks for all the support."

"You're very welcome," he replied, kissing her back. He wanted to say more but was interrupted by voices coming from outside the apartment. Two different voices. Two voices both of them knew.

Exchanging a surprised look, Lindsay and Danny got up from the sleeping couch and headed back into the living room, just in time to see not only Eva but also another of their friends step through the wide opened front door.

"So you locked that guy in the cellar and stole the battery of his cell and then you left him there until you were allowed to share the information with him?" Sheldon asked, laughing at the imagination of what Eva had told him about just one of her work stories.

"Yeah, sometimes you had to be a bit rough with those press guys," Eva answered, laughing herself.

Following the tiny bit of conversation in front of them, Danny and Lindsay once again exchanged a surprised look. The sight of Hawkes carrying Eva's box and the woman telling him stories about work was the least they had expected to see. So far those two hadn't even noticed them; too busy they were with the stories they were exchanging. Both didn't have it easy with fighting back the urge to laugh. Eva seemed to step in contact with people in record time.

"Uh...not to interrupt your little chat here," Danny tried to catch their attention, trying to not grin too broadly at the Sheldon and Eva snapping out of their conversation immediately. "But...well, nice to see you just met another one of us, Eva."

Despite herself instantly blushing lightly, Eva chuckled. "Yeah, looks like New York is smaller than you think. I met Sheldon at the car. He thought I'm Lindsay."

Sheldon nodded. "Yeah, even though I have to admit I was a tiny bit confused by the sudden change of hairstyle and clothes. It took me a moment to get what was actually happening in front of me."

Imagining the scene that had happened down there in the street only minutes ago, Lindsay couldn't help but laugh. This had just been the first of a couple of confusing and definitely funny moments that were awaiting them in the future.

"And you just had the luck that you found someone to carry your box obviously," Danny teased.

Sheldon laughed. "Nah, that was me being a gentleman." Turning to Lindsay, he added, "So, you have a twin sister then? I think you know that you have to introduce them to us properly so the others won't have the same confusing experience I just had."

"Don't worry about that, I will," she replied. "Now if you want to get rid of that box, the room is over there."

"Thanks." With that Sheldon made his way across the living room to carry the box into the room that was supposed to be Eva's from now on. Her sister followed her and Lindsay used the chance to watch her for a moment. She hadn't had any doubt that within no time the woman would get in contact not only with her but also with everyone close to her. She didn't know how much of their story Eva had shared with Sheldon already, but knowing their friend, he wouldn't ask any too detailed questions until they would share the answers with him by their own.

Everything was still so new, still so confusing. Lindsay was glad that Eva knew two of those persons that were the closest to her. She didn't want to imagine how she would have felt if she had to deal with this new situation all by her own. She was unsure on how her sister was feeling around all those people she was meeting now, but so far she seemed to be alright with it.

While watching Eva and Sheldon disappearing into the new bedroom, Lindsay felt how Danny stepped behind her, gently wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. Instinctively she leant back against his chest, allowing him to rest his chin on her shoulder.

"It's going great so far, isn't it?" he whispered into her ear. "It might be feeling rushed, but it also has a big advantage. The faster you get over the first awkwardness the more time you have to actually get closer."

Lindsay smiled at his words. "I'm glad to have her here now. I just don't want to overwhelm her with all those new people she's going to meet. And all those questions that are awaiting us."

"You two will be fine," he told her, placing a soft kiss into her hair. "And it seems like she gets along with Sheldon really well already. This way she won't feel so lonely in the city."

"And soon she'll also meet Louie," she added. "Thanks for suggesting that by the way."

Lindsay could feel Danny smile against her shoulder. "No worries, I think the more people she meets the faster she'll feel like a part of us. And the easier it is for you as well. The more normal everything seems to be the better. The worst in such an already complicated situation is an awkward tension and the insecurity on how to interact."

Lindsay couldn't help the light chuckle that escaped her at the word of her boyfriend. "You're a wise man, Danny Messer."

He chuckled as well, once again kissing her. "I learnt from the best, Miss Monroe." With that he loosened his grip around her waist and turned her around so she was facing him.

Danny found Lindsay smiling up at him, the sight causing relief to spread inside him. He had been feeling the tension that had been inside her ever since the moment the doorbell had rang early this morning. Closely he had watched her act and react to the situation. He knew she was excited because of the fact she was having a sister now and finally had the chance to have the close relationship to her the two of them hadn't been allowed to have in the past.

Still there was no way she could simply get used to all that had been unloaded on her during those few hours. There was a lot that was pushed aside at the moment and would be brought back to the surface later. He wanted to make sure he was going to support her with that and with all those conversations that were awaiting her in the future, just as much as he wanted to help her create a solid bond with her new sister. The more grateful he was that Eva had met Sheldon as well already. He knew if someone was welcoming and knew what to say in which situation, it was him.

"Maybe we should help them in there," Lindsay said then after a couple of moments of silence.

Danny nodded. Before he could reply though, Sheldon and Eva already returned back into the living room. Eva was still smiling brightly, her sparkling brown eyes revealing what emotions were rushing through her at the moment.

"Lindsay, the room is really perfect, much better than my hotel room," she told her sister. "I promise I won't use it too long though. I think I'll try to find an own place soon, and a job as well, at least for the next time."

"You can stay in that room as long as you want to, there's no need to hurry," Lindsay replied honestly. "I'm happy to have you here."

Eva's smile widened lightly. "Thank you. But anyways, I need to find a job. New York isn't really cheap."

"Does that mean you decided to stay in the city?" Danny wanted to know.

Like before and despite her own character, Eva blushed lightly at the question. "Yes, at least for now."

Once again Danny glanced down at Lindsay, like expected noticing her smiling at her sister's answer. He didn't have a doubt that the two women would get along very well. It would take them some time to get really comfortable and to not feel like two strangers anymore. But with a little support here and some help there and thanks to the fact both of them were open to each other, this wouldn't take them long. And then they could face all those nagging questions that wanted to be answered. Together.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing and to afrozenheart412 for asking me to update again! Special thanks to webdlfan, afrozenheart412, saderia, Dine89, rapidtetv, Jupitor's-Cowgirl and Lindsay1234!**

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**When Lindsay woke up the next morning, she needed a few moments to realise that the previous day had not been a dream. The day before, she had woken up as the sister of three older brothers. Now she knew that she also had a twin sister. Still she could remember how shocked she had been the moment she had opened the door and looked at what seemed to be the perfect reflection of herself. Eva Rossi was her twin sister.

And Lindsay had no idea why she didn't know about that. As she was lying in bed with a sleeping Danny next to her, she allowed the nagging questions to return. Why didn't she know about her twin sister? Why had her parents given her away? Or had they done that in the first place? She couldn't know that. No one of them knew it. Lindsay felt the strong urge to reach for her phone and call them.

But she agreed with Danny that she should wait. At least a bit. She and Eva were just about to get to know each other. She had always had the odd feeling that something was missing and she didn't have a doubt that this had been the invisible bond that had united her with her twin. They needed some time to get to know each other, to help Eva to settle down in New York. Then they would do the phone call and hopefully get answers for their questions.

She had read the paper. Eva had been given away at the day of her birth. But something inside Lindsay told her that her parents hadn't just chosen between two babies and decided to give one away. It seemed like that, but her inner voice was telling her that something was wrong with this obvious story. She knew her parents. She knew how much they loved their children. Everyone of them. She couldn't see them giving one of those children away. Never.

But even though Lindsay believed there was an explanation for this story which neither of them was expecting, she was willing to wait until the right moment had come. She could already feel the connection between herself and Eva and she was convinced that in short time, they would grow even closer. Then both of them would feel confident enough to ask their parents what had happened all those years ago.

Lindsay tried to push those thoughts away, but even though it was still early, there was no way for her to fall asleep again. Too much she was affected by the whole situation. The day before, she had been nervous and unsure, and she knew Eva had been feeling even worse as she had moved into Lindsay's spare room. Now Lindsay didn't have a doubt anymore that this decision had been right and as she thought about the fact that her sister was sleeping next door to her bedroom, a smile lit her face.

Lindsay glanced at Danny, her smile widening at the sight of her sleeping boyfriend. Like usually, he was lying across most space of the bed. He looked like a boy when he was sleeping; nothing would reveal the cheeky, teasing side of him. It showed though that he could be different as well. He wasn't the guy who she had thought he was as she had met him. Once again he had offered her so much support. He had also been surprised as he had seen Eva for the first time. But then he had quickly pushed his own confusion aside to support her. She was grateful that he had helped her and also had been so open to her twin. Things had been a lot easier like that.

As quietly as possible, Lindsay got up and left the bedroom to head to the kitchen. As she entered the small room, she found no one else but her sister standing at the kitchen counter.

"Good morning," Lindsay greeted her surprised. "You're up early."

Eva smiled back at her. "I know. I guess I'm still used to it because of the job. You know, because of all the crazy shifts I had to work. If you had bad luck, you would be called in the middle of the night when every other person was asleep."

Lindsay chuckled. "Yes, as a CSI you have the same pleasure with the working hours." She stepped closer. "You made coffee?"

"Oh, I hope you don't mind," Eva replied.

Lindsay shook her head. "No, I don't mind at all. You're living here with me now. That's your home as well. You don't have to ask for permission." She saw how Eva's smile widened and as she studied the woman who looked like a perfect copy of her for a moment, she felt a lump forming in her throat. Her face must have given her away as Eva's expression turned serious again.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

Lindsay nodded. "Yeah. It's just...I still don't understand this. I..." Her voice trailed off. She didn't know how to speak out what she was feeling.

"What is it?" Eva wanted to know.

Lindsay sighed. "I don't know. It's just that...I feel kinda guilty. I don't understand why I was allowed to grow up with our parents and our brothers while you...were send to another family. I just...can't see my parents as people who send their child away. Who pick between two children. I just...don't get it."

Eva's expression softened again and she offered a warm smile. "First of all, I want you to stop feeling guilty," she said. "Why are you feeling guilty? It wasn't your fault. And second...I don't know what happened back then either. It wouldn't be the first time that something strange happened and that it wasn't their own decision to do that. There are so many reasons for why that happened. We won't know until we talked to them. Until then you shouldn't bug yourself with questions about the reasons. I don't do that either. We don't know why we were separated. Maybe it wasn't even their decision. Maybe it was an accident. Or they had their reasons. If you say you can't see them giving a child away...who knows, maybe they didn't. If I was you, I'd try to not think about it too much until we talk to them. There are too many scenarios, believe me. I played them all through in my mind. You won't find a satisfying answer until we talked to them."

Lindsay nodded slowly. Eva's answer relieved her. Even though she knew it was nonsense, she had wondered if her sister was maybe blaming her. "You're right. I guess we'll find it out early enough," she answered.

Eva's smile widened. "Good." She glanced at the kitchen clock. "If you don't mind, I might go to bed for another hour. I didn't sleep too well during the last nights. I should catch up on that I think."

A moment later, her twin sister had left the kitchen, but Lindsay was still standing at the same place. Eva was right. There were so many possibilities, and all of them could be true. They could reach from the decision of her parents that they didn't want two babies to someone having stolen and kidnapped the child. They would have to wait and see. Until then, there was a lot of catching up to do.

At the thought of that, a smile lit Lindsay's face. She was getting excited. There was so much she wanted to know about Eva and so much she wanted to tell her as well. They could also exchange childhood stories, even if those maybe wouldn't be easy for them. And then Eva would have to meet all the other team members.

"It's so early and you're smiling already?"

Danny's voice caused her to spin around. Her boyfriend was leaning in the doorway, watching her with a smile of his own. As Lindsay glanced back at him, Danny made his way over to her. He wrapped his arms around her slim waist and greeted her with a soft kiss.

"Not everyone hates getting up early," she told him with a wink. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Sure." He leaned against the kitchen counter as he watched her filling two mugs. She felt he wanted to say more and as she handed his mug to him, she raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend.

"Speak it out already," she demanded.

Danny chuckled. "I actually just wanted to ask you how you slept last night. It was a pretty eventful day yesterday."

"It was, yes," Lindsay answered. "But I slept surprisingly well. I'm trying not to wonder why she was given away back then. I'm trying just to focus on the fact that I have a sister now."

"Does it work well?" he wanted to know.

"Pretty much," she replied. "I still am a bit overwhelmed, but in a good way. I mean...I didn't expect that at all. But actually I'm more excited than anything."

"Excitement is good." Danny stepped behind Lindsay and wrapped his arms around her waist, snuggling into her. "Just keep in mind, if you need anything I'm here. I think your decision to let her live her was a fantastic idea. You'll soon know each other so well. I think even if you seem to be different in some ways, I think the look by far isn't the only thing you two have in common. You just met yesterday, you two are overwhelmed by it all but anyway it feels as if you're pretty close already."

"Maybe it's what they always say. You know, this connection between twins." Lindsay chuckled as well. "I can't wait to see how the others will react to her."

"They surely will be as excited as Sheldon was," Danny replied, placing a kiss onto her shoulder.

Lindsay nodded in agreement. Danny was right; there was this connection between them already and she believed it would quickly get stronger. Especially when the rest of their friends knew about Eva as well. It would take a while until things would get back to normal, but the fact that she had a sister, just like she had always wanted, was worth it.

* * *

She had tried her best to fall asleep again but it hadn't worked much. So Eva had decided to be productive and had headed out into the city. She needed a job, as soon as possible. The decision was made; she would stay in New York. Her sister had accepted her, she wanted to get to know her better. She would stay in the city and use the chance to do that; get to know her twin better.

Unfortunately Eva had no idea where to apply. There were many opportunities, but currently she was still too overwhelmed by the events of the previous day to form a proper thought. She was grateful that not only Lindsay but also Danny and Sheldon had been so open and welcoming to her. She was glad that her sister had them for support; finding out about a lost twin sister definitely wasn't easy to handle. It had been difficult for Eva as well, and she had even been prepared for it.

It was still early as she entered one of the many cafes, ordered herself a coffee and decided to simply check the newspaper. Maybe, if she was lucky, the perfect job would be in there and the wondering about what to do would stop.

"Eva?"

As she heard her name, Eva looked up, needing a moment to remember why the voice sounded so familiar. A smile lit her face as she made eye contact with Sheldon who had joined her at her table, watching her with a smile.

"Hey, what a nice coincidence," he greeted her.

"Definitely," she replied. "Don't you want to sit down? Or do you have to hurry to your Crime Lab?"

Sheldon chuckled. "I guess I have time to drink my coffee here." He sat down in the chair across of her. "What are you doing here that early in the morning? Don't you want to use the chance and sleep in a bit?"

Eva sighed. "I tried my best. It didn't work unfortunately. I think I'm still too overwhelmed by all this." She shook her head as once again realisation of what had happened just a day ago hit her. "Yesterday I was scared that she would send me away and would be mad at her for messing everything up. I felt so guilty because I just showed up at her place."

"I think no matter how you would have announced it, it would always have been a shock," Sheldon answered.

Eva nodded. "I know, and I thought if she saw me in person, it would make it easier and more obvious than if I sent a letter to her or called her. I was surprised by how open she was. And that she invited me to stay at her place."

Sheldon smiled. "Your sister always is like that towards others. She's a lovely person. I think when you stay at her apartment, it's the best way for you two to get to know each other. There's a lot of catching up to do."

"Definitely." Eva glanced down at her newspaper again. "And the job hunt will be another challenge."

"You said you worked at the Wall Street," Sheldon replied. "And that you had a lot of important clients. If you use those contacts, you surely will have a new and well paid job within no time."

But Eva shook her head. "No, I don't want to work in that business anymore. I started to work for the NIH because I couldn't handle this job anymore." She smiled. "That might sound a little strange, but I wanted to do something good. I think working with those big names isn't made for me and I don't want to go back."

"Then maybe work for us?" Sheldon suggested. "I can think of many times when we would have needed someone who knows how to handle the press, without making wrong promises. Someone who knows how to handle them and give them answers without giving answers."

Eva laughed. "Giving answers without giving answers and keeping them away until the story is allowed to come out? I'm good at that."

Sheldon laughed as well. "I'm sure you'd do better than the Chief." His face turned serious again. "Maybe you should really try to do that. I could talk to our boss and see if there would be need for you. Who knows? It's always worth a try."

"You'd do that for me?" Eva asked surprised.

Sheldon smiled at her. "Yeah, I'd do that for you. And no, I don't want anything back for that."

Eva smiled back at him. "Maybe, but I still owe you something. Also for carrying my box."

"Maybe you could invite me to another coffee one day," Sheldon suggested.

"I'd love to," Eva replied.

She had been so unsure at first, but now Eva was glad that she had made this for her huge step. Everyone was so open, so friendly and welcoming. It felt like a fresh start; exactly what she had wanted.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks so much for your reviews! And for reading as well! I'm so glad you're still reading this story! Special thanks to webdlfan, afrozenheart412, LoveIsInTheAir4DL, saderia and Dine89!**

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* * *

**Danny had to admit this new situation was confusing him. Up to now, he had thought that Lindsay had a few older brothers. But that she had a sister? A twin sister even? This was entirely new to him, and the way they had met was still so unreal that he felt like he had just imagined it.

Now there was a woman who looked exactly like his girlfriend. Yet Eva was different to Lindsay. He had no doubt that both sisters had a lot in common, but the differences he could see as well. It would be interesting to see how those two would slowly get to know each other.

He also wondered when the two sisters would contact their parents. Of course he could only speak for himself, but Danny couldn't imagine how he would feel like if he found out that he had a twin. Lindsay had to have a lot of unanswered questions, and Eva as well.

Questions which only their parents could answer. So far, Danny had met the Monroes once when he had visited Lindsay in Montana. He couldn't imagine that the family had given away one of their babies. To him, they had more seemed like parents who wouldn't have minded to have an even bigger family.

But there were a lot of other options which could explain why the twins had been separated. Most of his theories weren't nice and he felt sorry for the family if one of them was true. Of course he also knew that speculating wouldn't lead him anywhere, and as long as the sisters were fine with it, he also wouldn't bring the topic up. Not at the moment anyway.

"Someone's deep in his thoughts obviously," Hawkes said as he joined Danny in the break room where he was sitting at one of the round tables. "That doesn't surprise me though."

Danny nodded. "Yeah. Can you believe that? I always thought that there's something fascinating about two people existing who look so alike. But that my girlfriend suddenly has a twin? Never expected that at all."

"Oh, believe me, I was just as surprised as you when she suddenly stood there. I seriously thought it was Lindsay. Just with a different hairdo and different clothes," Sheldon answered.

Danny chuckled. "Yeah, their styles are quite different. Maybe because one of them grew up in a city and the other in the country."

"Isn't that a little cliché?" Sheldon wanted to know. He laughed. "It'll be funny when we introduce Eva to the others. Maybe they should play a trick on them."

"Oh yeah, maybe they could dress up similarly or something like that," Danny suggested. He grinned as he studied his friend. "You two like each other, huh?"

Sheldon raised his eyebrows. "You sound as if we're two highschool boys."

Danny's grin widened. "Nah, I'm just curious. You seemed to get along really well. And let's face it, you didn't have a girl in ages."

Sheldon tried his best to give Danny an annoyed look, couldn't stay serious though. After all his friend was right. "She's very nice," he answered then. "But that doesn't mean anything. We could just become good friends."

"You mean like Lindsay and me?" Danny laughed. "Seriously, how many times did you tell me she and I should stop pretending that we're best friends? You and Don told me that over and over again. It's hard just to be friends with a woman, especially when both are singles."

"Only because that doesn't work for you doesn't mean it can't work for me," Sheldon replied.

Danny shrugged. "Be stubborn, but I really could see the two of you fitting together quite well."

"So you wouldn't have a problems with it if I had a girlfriend who looked exactly like yours?" Sheldon wanted to know, smirking himself.

Danny opened his mouth to reply, but word failed him as he allowed himself to think about that for a moment. It was his turn to raise his eyebrows then, causing Sheldon to laugh.

"Still convinced I should get together with Eva?" he wanted to know.

"Ah, come on, I'm not childish," Danny answered. "I mean, hey, they look alike but that doesn't mean you will imagine you're together with my girlfriend. Right?"

Sheldon laughed even more. "Surely not. Don't worry." He paused. "Oh, I didn't tell you yet that I asked her to work for us, right?"

"You asked Eva to work for us?" Danny wanted to know.

Sheldon nodded. "Yeah. I thought she'd be good with dealing with the media. You know how angry Mac gets when the reporters run after us whenever there is a case that catches their attention. She knows how to handle those people and I'm sure she'd be a great help for all of us. What did she say? She said she's fantastic at answering questions without saying anything."

Danny chuckled. "I'm sure Mac isn't the only one who'd be happy about someone like that as part of our team. I hope Lindsay convinces her to apply for this job."

Sheldon nodded. "I already told her she should just do it. I mean, she needs a new job and she liked what she did before. It fits to her. Plus she and Lindsay would have even more chances to get to know each other. I'm sure they need it."

Danny nodded in agreement. "Definitely. They have a lot to catch up on. And hey, imagine all the fun we could have with them driving everyone crazy here."

"Absolutely," Sheldon laughed. "That'd be good for some interesting situations."

Once again, Danny couldn't help but grin. He could see already that his friend was attracted to Eva. He knew how he had felt when he had fallen in love with Lindsay; it had happened pretty quickly. He had no problems with that; after all Sheldon definitely deserved some love.

* * *

It was around evening when Lindsay arrived at home again. It had been a long and exhausting shift. Even happier she was to be back. There was nothing better than returning to her apartment after a long day, especially when she knew Danny would visit her later.

A bright smile lit her face at this thought. There had been a time when she had thought that she didn't want to date anyone for a while. One-night-stands weren't her thing, so she had wanted to stay away from men. Of course then Danny had shown up and Lindsay had fallen in love with him.

Now she was glad they had given a relationship a try. It felt good to know that there was this man who loved her, who she was so close to, who was attracted to her. It felt good to have this special someone who would visit her after a long day and would spend some romantic hours with her.

And now there was even someone else. Now all of the sudden she didn't just have a boyfriend and her family in Montana. Now she also had a twin sister who was awaiting her at home. Of course they still had to get to know each other.

But that was working better and better, and as Lindsay arrived at home, she was looking forward to spending more time with Eva. According to the delicious smell that filled her apartment and the sounds coming from the kitchen, she could tell her sister had already arrived.

"I'm home," Lindsay announced, right making her way into the kitchen. For a moment, she stopped in her tracks as she watched her sister. Without being dressed up, Eva looked even more like her. At the moment, the only difference was the hairdo, but Lindsay had no doubt that if she cut her hair and made it a bit darker, no one would be able to separate them anymore.

"Hey," Eva greeted, offering a welcoming smile. "I hope you don't mind I cooked already. But I'm not used to sitting around all day long. I looked for some jobs already, but still that didn't fill the whole day."

Lindsay chuckled. "Why do you stress yourself with that? Take some time off and relax a bit."

"I know you wouldn't mind that, but I want to find a job and pay half of the rent. It's nice enough of you to let me live here," Eva answered. "I really don't mind. I'm used to working."

"Just make sure it doesn't get too much," Lindsay replied. "I think this might be something else we have in common. We're good at stressing ourselves. Luckily I figured out that other things are a lot nicer than a career."

"A family for example," Eva answered and for a second, she noticed hints of sadness in the other woman's eyes.

"You have a family now," she said.

Eva nodded. "I know, thank you for that. But I was talking about something else." She hesitated.

"May I know about what?" Lindsay asked carefully.

Eva needed another few moments. They were just about to get to know each other. Opening up completely wasn't easy yet.

"My team and I worked in La Roca in Mexico a short while before I quit my job and decided to look for my family," Eva started to explain then. "I found a young boy who I thought was an orphan." She smiled softly. "I felt so sorry for him. I thought I knew exactly how he felt like, and I wanted to make sure he wouldn't have to be pushed around, from one foster family to another. I was lucky, but I know many children, especially when they are no babies anymore, have a really hard time with being adopted. I wanted to make sure he wouldn't have to go through that."

"So you wanted to adopt him?" Lindsay wanted to know.

Eva nodded. "Yes. I wanted to give him a home. I imagined I'd be a good mother for him, and somewhere along the line we could move onto a nice farm with animals and I would find a man who would be a good father for him. It all felt so wonderful to me. And then..." She sighed. "And then I found out he still had his uncle and everything I had imagined and set up for us already was no option anymore."

Tears were glistering in Eva's eyes, but her well trained self control prevented them from falling. Lindsay had to swallow as well. She could imagine how much her sister must have been hurt by this experience, especially after what she had to face herself. So close she had been to having someone close to her, and then everything had changed once again. It made sense to her that this experience had made Eva look for her real family, and Lindsay was glad she had found her.

"I'm pretty sure that one day, you will have exactly that," she couldn't help but say then. "I know everyone would say that now, but I'm convinced by that. I also always thought I'd never meet the right one. Now it happened. And then you can also have children; either own once or you adopt some. Whatever you do, you'll have this one day."

Eva smiled lightly. "It'd be nice. But I think for now I want to focus on getting to know my sister a bit better. And on what might be my new job."

"Oh, so you were successful?" Lindsay asked.

Eva's smile widened. "Well, Sheldon suggested that I should apply for a job at the NYPD. He said that you'd often have problems with the media getting into the way."

"Yeah, some cases catch a lot of attention," Lindsay agreed.

"Exactly, and so he thought maybe I could take care of them," Eva said. "I know how to handle reporters, and how to keep them away from the real news until they're allowed to know them. So I just did it and asked if the NYPD could offer me a job. I'm supposed to meet them for an interview tomorrow."

"Really?" Lindsay glanced back at her sister in surprise. "Wow, that's fantastic! We'd really need someone like you. And working together with you? Even better."

Eva chuckled. "Then you should wish me good luck."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure you'll get the job," she replied.

Lindsay was getting to know Eva more and more. She was happy that she and Danny were working together. If Eva would join their team, this would be fantastic as well. And maybe her twin would be lucky like her and find someone who could make her happy as well.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Yay, thanks so much for reading and reviewing! Special thanks to Dine89, afrozenhearz412, saderia, Lindsay1234 and Montanagirl2009!**

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**Nervously, Eva was pacing up and down in front of the building that was owned by the NYPD. In a couple of minutes, she was supposed to what she hoped would be her future employer. Eva had had a couple of jobs in the past, but for some reason this one made her more nervous than any other one before.

Quitting her old job had been a difficult step for her. Eva had loved her old team and the work she had been doing. When she had chosen this career, she had wanted to do something new, something good. She wanted to help others, and even though she didn't count to the doctors, she still had an important job.

But it had been necessary. She had needed all her time to find out where she was really coming from. Not knowing who her real parents were had hurt her, had affected her since she had found out that she had been adopted. This had followed her everywhere, had often influenced her behaviour.

Eva had had good adoptive parents and she would make sure to stay in close contact to them. They had raised her, had given her the love she had needed. They would always have a special part in her heart. But still the urge to find out where she was really coming from had almost overwhelmed her.

Now she didn't only know who her really parents were, she also had found out that she had three brothers and a twin sister. Still she was amazed when she thought of this fact. She could remember how surprised she had been when she had found out about her twin, and what a stunning experience meeting her for the first time had been.

That Lindsay had welcomed her like that and had even offered her to stay at her apartment had been an even bigger surprise. Eva also couldn't help the feeling that Lindsay didn't only want her to stay until she would have found something new. To her, it seemed as if her sister simply wanted to be close to her.

To catch up. There was a lot to catch up on. Eva's mind was still spinning with all those questions she had. But both women had agreed to make one step after the other. There had always been this bond, even though neither of them had known about it. They shouldn't rush anything now.

Eva also had to admit she was amazed by herself. She had tried to push the events from La Roca aside. Too much it still hurt. Eva knew she had to get over this; after all she had only known this boy for a couple of hours.

But it wasn't just the boy who she missed. Just as much Eva missed the prospect of having a partner, a child and everything she had secretly dreamt of since her childhood. Of course she hadn't dared to share this with everyone, but despite what she had made people believe, she was looking for the big love.

Eva had had a couple of relationships, but none of them had been deep and serious. There had been a time when she had believed that she wasn't able to have a serious relationship that lasted longer than a few months. It had taken her a while to realise that she was simply afraid of being pushed aside again.

By now, the longing for more was so strong though that it was close to overwhelming her. She wanted what she had promised this boy, more than anything else. But for now, she would make one step after the other. She had just found her twin sister, and getting to know her was Eva's highest priority.

This new job would be just another option to help her with that. They could see each other even during work; Eva could do what she loved to do and she could be around her sister as well. She wanted this job, and this made her even more nervous.

"Lindsay?"

A male voice interrupted her in her thoughts. Turning around, she gazed up at a tall man, dressed in a suit, who was grinning at her as if he knew her. It took Eva a moment to realise that this had to be another of Lindsay's co-workers.

"Hey, nice new look," the man said, nodding appreciating. "Although I think the curls suit you as well. But that dress...since when do you dress up like that?" His grin widened. "I bet Danny likes that."

Eva couldn't help but chuckle at the man's words. There was no doubt another friend of Lindsay had fallen for how similar they looked like. For just a moment, she felt the urge to play with this man and use this moment for her advantage. But then she changed her mind. Right now, she was just too nervous.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not Lindsay," she decided to answer instead. "Don't worry, you're not the first one who didn't realise that."

The man gave her a confused look. Then he laughed. "That was a good one, Monroe."

Eva grinned. "You don't believe me? Then I'm looking forward to what Lindsay will tell me after work. It should be fun to find out what'll happen when you meet the real Lindsay."

The man studied her for another couple of moments, obviously trying to figure out whether she was serious or just making fun of him. When his eyes widened all of the sudden, Eva laughed.

"I guess you believe me now?" she asked.

"But..." the man stammered.

Eva offered another grin. "I'm Lindsay's twin sister. Eva Rossi. I think you'll want to know the whole story, but maybe Lindsay and I should tell it together." She offered her hand. "Nice to meet you, Sir."

"Oh, nice to...meet you, Miss Rossi." More than confused by what he had just heard, the man shook her hand. "Don Flack. I'm a friend of Lindsay. And you...seriously? You're her twin? Lindsay never told us about a twin."

"Like I said, it's a long story," Eva answered with a smile. "I think Lindsay and I should tell it together." She sighed. "But right now I need to calm down again, or I won't ever get this job."

"A job?" Don asked surprised. "You're applying at the NYPD?"

Eva nodded. "Yeah, I worked for the National Institute of Health. I was supposed to handle the media."

"Oh," Don said interested. "I see. You're supposed to keep those annoying reporters away from us with answers that tell them nothing."

Eva smiled. "Yeah, that's my job. Wish me luck, Mr. Flack."

"Don," he answered.

"Then it's Eva for you," she replied.

Once again, Eva had met one of Lindsay's friends, and again it had been an amusing surprise. She was curious how the other friends and co-workers would react.

* * *

"Hey babe." With a knocking at her office door, Danny joined Lindsay in their shared office.

Lindsay chuckled. "You always have to be loud when you enter a room, huh?"

"Not only when I enter a room," he answered with a grin.

She rolled her eyes at him, sighing playfully. "Watch it, your naughty mind has nothing to do at work." She kissed him as he bent down to her briefly. Then he made his way over to his own desk.

"Did Eva call already because of the job?" Danny wanted to know.

Lindsay shook her head. "No, not yet." She sighed again. "I so hope she'll get the job. She really deserves it. Means she'll have even more reasons to stay here."

"You don't really think she'd move away again, right?" Danny asked with raised eyebrows.

Lindsay shrugged. "I don't think so, no. But...well, you know me."

"I know you indded," he replied. "And I know this look. How many more times do I have to tell you that you have no reasons to feel guilty? It wasn't your fault that she grew up somewhere else."

"I know, I know," she answered. "But you also know how easily I feel guilty. See, she wants a family so much. I think even if her adoptive parents were good to her, she must have felt odd because she was given away. This has to be the most painful reason to be adopted; being given away."

"But maybe that's not even what happened," Danny said. "Maybe she was kidnapped or something like that. Would also explain why your parents kept it quiet. Such an experience has to be painful." He paused. "Maybe the two of you should call them and find out."

But like expected, Lindsay shook her head. "No, not yet. It's too early for all that. I mean, we know each other for such a short time. A few days ago, I had no idea that I had a sister. I want us to get to know each other first."

"Then push the guilt away," he told her. "You have no reason to feel like that. See it as a chance, for the both of you. I can only imagine how awesome it has to be to have a sister."

Lindsay nodded and to his relief, a smile lit her face. "Oh yeah, it really is. I can't wait for the others meeting her." She winked at him. "But stay away from her, even if she looks like me."

Danny cringed. "Don't start that. I already had such a talk with Sheldon yesterday."

"That means?" Lindsay wanted to know.

Danny shook his head in amusement as he remembered this conversation with his friend. "He teased me that I might not like it for the case he gets together with Eva, because she looks so much like you and it'd be kinda as if he also knew how you look like naked."

Lindsay couldn't help but laugh at this answer. Something like that was typical for her boyfriend. "You guys are crazy, you know that." Then a grin lit her face. "So, Sheldon plans on getting together with my sister?"

Danny grinned as well. "Not officially. I said they seem to fit together and he tried to convince me from the opposite. But it didn't work." He chuckled. "The two of them will realise how good they fit together sooner than they know."

"They're kinda different in some things, but still they have a lot in common as well," Lindsay replied. "That's a good mix. Reminds me of the two of us."

"Yeah, and we found the great love in each other," Danny said before he could stop himself. As he saw his girlfriend's surprised look, he blushed lightly. "What?"

"We found the great love in each other?" Lindsay repeated his words.

Danny's face became even redder. "Well, don't you think so?"

To his relief, she offered a soft smile at his words; a smile which he knew only too well by now. "That's exactly what I'm thinking, to tell you the truth," Lindsay answered. "But I had no idea you were feeling like that as well."

He gave her a surprised look. "I thought you know that I love you."

"I do," she said, her face reddening as well. "I just didn't know you love me so much."

Mirroring his smile, he made his way over to her with his chair. Turning her around, he made her face him.

"I love you more than anything," he told her softly. "Is that clear now?"

She chuckled. "I think so. As long as you know that I love you that much as well."

Once again, Danny couldn't help but grin as he bent forward and kissed Lindsay. He really loved her. There was something between them which he had never experienced before. It wasn't just this special connection, it was a feeling which felt better than anything he knew. Love was beautiful and he couldn't get enough of it. And he knew they agreed on one thing; especially Sheldon and Eva deserved to experience such a wonderful feeling as well.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Oopsie! I think you might want an update! At least I hope you'd like to read more of this fic! Here's a new chapter. There might be some new stuff for you, I hope you'll like what I've planned! Thanks for reading and reviewing, and for your patience! Special thanks to Dine89, afrozenheart412, saderia, webdlfan and Montanagirl2009!**

* * *

For around an hour, Eva had sat in the large office, hoping she would be able to convince her potential employer to give her this job. As she then left the building again, she couldn't be in a better mood.

She had gotten the job. Even though Eva knew she was good with doing her job, she had been nervous and unsure if she would be able to work for the NYPD. She would be around her sister even more.

For Eva, this was a huge chance. She had had friends and nice co-workers. She had also had her adoptive parents. Yet she had often felt lonely. For the first time in a very long while, she started to feel as if she was part of something.

With a smile on her face, Eva stepped onto the sidewalk, enjoying the warm sunshine on her face. It felt like a fresh start; a new job, new family members and possibly even new friends. It was exciting like an adventure.

"Hey Eva," a familiar voice greeted her then, interrupting her in her thoughts. Turning around, she smiled even more as she found herself facing Sheldon again.

"Hey," she said. "I just had my interview. Because of the job we talked about."

Sheldon's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh? How did it go?"

"Do you want to guess?" Eva asked, trying her best not to show too much of her excitement yet.

Sheldon chuckled. "I'd be happy if you just told me. I'm not good with guessing."

Eva winked at him. "Fine. I got the job."

"You did? Congratulations!" Sheldon shook her hand, excited as well. "That's fantastic. Then again I knew you'd get the job. I mean, we need someone like you. Someone who keeps all those reporters away from us. Especially when we're working on catching a serial killer."

Eva nodded. "Yeah, I can imagine. I remember what stress they caused when my old team was working on something and they didn't want to back off." She sighed. "I'm so glad it worked out like that. I wasn't sure at first."

"Why?" Sheldon asked surprised. "Like I said, I had no doubt you'd get the job. You were good at your old one already."

Eva smirked. "How do you want to know that?"

Sheldon shrugged. "I just know it." He glanced at his watch. "I'm on a little break now, why don't we go and celebrate your new job a bit? I could also introduce you to some members of the team already. I bet none of them will get that you're Lindsay's twin at first."

"So very true." Eva laughed as she remembered her earlier meeting with another co-worker. "I talked to Don Flack earlier. He didn't want to believe me at first."

Sheldon laughed as well. "I can imagine. I bet he was shocked."

Eva nodded. "Oh yes, he was. He also wanted to know why Lindsay didn't tell you guys about me yet though. I told him it's better if we told the story together." She paused. "I wish she'd stop feeling guilty. I don't get it. It's not her fault at all. She didn't even know I'm existing."

"I know, but that's how she is," Sheldon answered. "She easily blames herself. There are a few things that happened in her past which she blamed herself for as well."

"What for example?" Eva wanted to know.

"Best is you ask her yourself," Sheldon suggested. "I think it's just important that you remind her that nothing of that is her fault at all. She's so glad to know about you now, and she shouldn't waste too many thoughts on why she didn't know about you."

"Exactly," Eva agreed. "I have to admit I'm also curious what our parents will tell us though. I still didn't really figure out what could have happened. But maybe I also shouldn't think about it too much. We can only speculate. We'll have to ask them if we really want to know what happened."

Sheldon nodded in agreement. "But now we'll go and celebrate your new job. And your fresh start."

Once again, a smile lit Eva's face. "Looks like it was a good idea to do it again. I think this fresh start will be even better for me than my last one."

"I'm sure about that," Sheldon agreed. He hesitated. "I might be wrong, but from what you told me, I got the feeling that you felt quite lonely before. You won't any longer. You have a sister who'll keep you busy, and friends who'll do the same."

Eva chuckled. "You already want to know if I'll find friends?"

Sheldon grinned. "You already have me, right?"

"Very true," Eva replied. To her own surprise, she felt how her cheeks started to redden a bit. Blushing usually wasn't something she did. But Sheldon had this effect on her. He was a nice and friendly man. He was a lot different to those men she usually met, those who liked to flirt with her and made comments which only made her roll her eyes. Eva was used to dress up for her job and she knew she was attractive to men. But she didn't like how they stared at her sometimes, how they believed they could lure her into something and how they abused dates as a chance to get her into their beds.

Eva had had her hard time with starting a long, serious relationship, but not because she was much into one-night-stands. She was annoyed by those men who wanted to push her into such relationships. Sheldon behaved completely different. He was friendly and nice to her. He was someone who she could see as a really good friend. Or as more, but without pressure. To sum it up, he was the kind of a man who she had been looking for.

"So where should we go to?" she asked then.

"Let me surprise you," he answered, offering his arm to her.

Still smiling, Eva linked her arm with his. She was looking forward to celebrate together with Sheldon. She was also looking forward to how her sister would react to the news regarding her job.

* * *

They had left the Crime Lab for a little break and had headed to Central Park as Lindsay's phone rang. From her excited smile Danny could tell that the caller had to be her sister. The way his girlfriend's smile widened already made clear what the phone call was about.

Indeed Lindsay couldn't hide her excitement as she heard the sentence which she had been waiting for.

"Eva got the job," she said after hanging up again. "Imagine! She'll work for us soon. Isn't that fantastic?"

"Definitely will be funny when people realise there are two versions of you," Danny answered with a wink. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he pulled her closer. "Are you happy now?"

"Of course I am," Lindsay replied. "She's my sister, of course I want her to have a great job. She sounded so happy. She said she and Sheldon will celebrate a bit."

"They'll celebrate a bit?" A grin lit Danny's face.

Rolling her eyes at him, Lindsay laughed. "You and your naughty mind. Will you ever learn to behave?"

"Nah, you know you love my comment," he said. "So what do you want to do now? Celebrate as well?"

"Depends on what that means," she answered with a wink. Then she sighed. "I'm so glad we'll be able to see each other so much. There's so much we still have to talk about. I'm glad she kinda seems to trust in me already. She told me something that happened a bit ago and which must have hurt her. It means a lot to me."

"I can imagine." Danny nodded. "And what about you? Do you trust in her as well?"

"Of course I do," Lindsay answered, slightly hesitant though.

Danny didn't miss that. "But you're not so ready to tell her about a certain event from your own past yet, right?"

Lindsay shrugged. "I'm not sure, to tell you the truth. I mean, when she'll meet our parents, maybe it'd be good if she knew about it. It's quite a big thing that's still affecting us."

"But what I asked is if you're ready to tell her," he replied.

"Maybe," she said. "I think I could do it." She smiled lightly. "I told you that I always felt like something is missing. I guess that's this twin thing. This connection, you know? I'm sure I could tell her about it. After all she's my sister." She hesitated again.

"What is it?" Danny wanted to know.

It took Lindsay another few moments before she could speak out what she had in mind. "Do you think I focus on her too much at the moment? I don't want you to feel neglected."

Glancing down at his girlfriend in surprise, Danny shook his head. "Do you seriously think I feel neglected just because you're trying to get to know your twin sister who you didn't know anything about?"

Lindsay blushed lightly. "Well, I don't know. I mean, she moved in with me, she'll work for us, I talk about her all the time. I don't want you to think I'm pushing you aside."

"I'm not feeling like that, really," Danny answered. "Don't get me wrong, but you should really work on that. You feel guilty all the time. Why?"

Once again, Lindsay shrugged. "I don't know. I love you and I don't want you to feel like you're not my number one anymore. Because you are. And...well, I was a bit unsure because we also discussed living together before and I didn't want you to think that I changed my mind about that."

To Lindsay's surprise, a chuckle escaped him. "Sorry," Danny said. "But sometimes I wonder why you're doing that to yourself. You're driving yourself crazy with thinking about what others could be thinking. But see, all the worrying that I could feel neglected were unnecessary because that's not how I'm feeling at all. I'm happy, okay? I'm so happy for you that Eva showed up, especially if you really felt like something was missing all the time. I think it was a good idea of you to let her move in, so she doesn't have to live in a hotel and the two of you can get to know each other even better. I really don't feel neglected and only because Eva moved in with you doesn't mean we won't do it as well sooner or later. Don't stress yourself so much. I'm happy for you and it's normal that you're talking so much about her at the moment."

Lindsay nodded slowly. With her cheeks still reddened, she looked up at him again. "I'm really worrying too much, huh?"

"Yeah, you do." Danny smiled at her. "I know that's who you are and it's not bad when you think things through. But the way you do it sometimes can't be good. Just relax a bit. You don't have to worry I might feel neglected or be angry or whatever else. If I have a problem with something, I'll let you know. See, you and I love each other. We're together and it wasn't easy for us to get to this point. There's nothing you could do that'd piss me off or anything."

"I know what you mean." Lindsay snuggled into his side. "I know I should calm down a bit. At least when it comes to us."

"Not just when it comes to us," he said. "Also when it comes to others. I mean, now you have Eva, do you also want to constantly wonder what she's thinking about you? You're already bothering yourself with feeling guilty. For no reasons." He glanced a kiss into her hair. "We love you, okay? Just keep that in mind. And you're no responsible for everything."

"Maybe I should learn to control the control freak inside me," Lindsay suggested with a wink.

Danny chuckled. "Good idea." He kissed her again. "I don't want to tell you what to do, don't get me wrong. I just want you to feel better and not so stressed because of everyone and everything. See, I also learnt a lot from you. I learnt to trust and give a serious relationship a try. I learnt to let you in and open my heart to you. Maybe you should learn to lean back a bit and not wonder too much."

"Sounds like a plan to me," she answered, wrapping an arm around his waist. "I'm glad you made the step and started this relationship with me. I'm so glad to have you, especially now."

"I know what you mean," he told her. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she answered with a smile.

Lindsay knew Danny was right. She shouldn't always wonder what others were thinking, she should relax more. After all they loved each other. And now there was another person who would soon be very close to her.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hello! :) I have a new chapter for you. Thanks so much for reviewing! And of course also for reading! Special thanks to RandomTVFan30, afrozenheart412 and webdlfan!**

* * *

They had picked a little restaurant near the Crime Lab for their celebration. Eva still found it difficult to understand what was currently happening around her; a new sister, a new job, new friends. And everything she had gotten within such a short time.

She had been so upset when she had returned from La Roca. So close she had been to adopting the little boy. So close she had been to having something like a family. She would have done everything for this boy; he would have felt loved, would never be lonely. She would have adjusted to this new role, would have even given up her career to be a good mother.

But then her dreams had been shred to pieces. The boy was gone, so was her hope for a family. Suddenly, Eva was alone again. There was no one. Of course she could still turn to her foster parents. But there was this longing inside Eva; a longing she had wished to ease with adopting this child. She was tired of feeling so alone, of having random relationships that wouldn't lead anywhere.

And so she had started to look for her real parents. Never she would have expected to find out that she had a sister as well. A twin sister. Eva was trying her best not to wonder why her parents hadn't kept her. According to her sister, they wouldn't have given away one of their children, no matter how difficult times would have been. Especially not when they had to choose between two of their babies.

Right now, the reasons also didn't matter. She and Lindsay would contact them soon; as soon as the fact that they were real twin sisters had fully sunk in.

"You're happy."

Interrupted in her thoughts by Sheldon, Eva shook her head to clear his mind. Despite herself, she couldn't help but blush lightly. "I'm sorry, what?" she asked.

"I said you seem to be happy," Sheldon repeated, his smile widening.

Eva nodded. "I am. And I'm sorry I got lost in my thoughts. It just feels so unreal to me."

"I can imagine," Sheldon replied. "Just enjoy it. Don't waste too much time with thinking."

"Lindsay and I still have to get to know each other," Eva said, sighing lightly. "I hope I won't disappoint her one day." She paused. "And I can't believe I'm actually saying something like that. I'm usually not insecure. That's just wrong."

"I think in your situation, everyone gets nervous and insecure," Sheldon told her. "But you have no reason to feel like that. Lindsay's so happy to have you. She might have been overwhelmed at first, but that doesn't matter. She's your sister. There's surely this connection between the two of you. There's no need to worry. She'll love you the way you are."

Eva chuckled. "You're such a sweet man, Sheldon. Thank you."

"Anytime," Sheldon replied. With a wink, he added, "Maybe that's why they want us to get together so much." As she looked at him in surprise, he added, "Danny's convinced you and I would make a fantastic couple."

"That's funny." Eva laughed. "How did he come up with that?"

Sheldon shrugged. "Because we're getting along so well already. Because we like each other so much."

"That's true of course." Eva smiled as she studied him again. He was the man she had always been looking for. It was funny to see that others already imagined them as a couple. There was this tension between them; probably it was normal between a single man and a single woman who met for the first time, who were spending so much time with each other.

But was she ready for what others expected from them? Did she want to get together with Sheldon? Or did she just want to have a close, good friend who she could turn to whenever she needed it?

"Would you like to know what I'm thinking?" Sheldon added then. As she nodded, he continued, "Personally I like you. A lot. I enjoy the thought of something happening between us. But I also firmly believe in strong, close friendships between men and women. They don't automatically have to hook up just because there's a connection between them. I can see it in your eyes, Eva. You're not ready for something like that at the moment. There's so much for you to deal with at the moment. And I'd like to be the friend by your side who's there for some laughs, or for some talking. Depending on what you'd prefer."

Eva's smile softened. She had expected to hear nothing else from Sheldon; they were close and he seemed to have the gift to know what was going on inside her mind. "So you agree with me that a really close friendship is more appealing than a relationship which would probably turn out complicated and ruin everything?"

Sheldon smiled as well. "I think a friendship should be our goal. If we think there should be more one day, we can always change our mind again."

"That sounds like a good plan to me." She chuckled again. "Now enough of the serious stuff, didn't we want to celebrate that we're going to be co-workers soon?"

"Oh, definitely." Rising his glass, Sheldon added, "To the new job."

"And to a new family and friends," Eva said, rising her glass as well.

* * *

"I don't get why we have to work late shifts." Danny sighed deeply as he tightened his arms around Lindsay, holding her closer. They had made themselves comfortable on the couch. Lindsay had to admit she was glad that she wouldn't have to get up again to go to work. Unfortunately Danny had to head back to the lab in a couple of minutes and would return when she would already be asleep.

"At least you have a girlfriend who'll warm up the bed for you," Lindsay said, placing a sweet kiss onto his cheek.

"Oh yeah. A girlfriend who I can snuggle up to then," Danny replied, smirking at her. "And maybe she's even interested in a little something something.?"

Playfully, Lindsay rolled her eyes at him. "So you'll come home in the middle of the night and that's all you have in mind?"

"It's not my fault that I can't resist you," he told her. Bending down, he captured her lips in a loving kiss. Leaning in further, Lindsay felt how he pulled her more firmly against his chest. The sensation of feeling his muscular body through her thin sleeping clothes made her shudder, caused a wonderful, strong heat to rise deep within her.

"You know, I could also call Mac and tell him I'll start later," he whispered between kisses that caused the heat to increase so much that it was spreading into every inch of her body. The urge to grab him and just have him on the couch was almost irresistable.

"Why, because you're busy with having sex with your girlfriend?" she asked back. "I doubt he'd accept such an excuse."

Danny sighed playfully. "Oh come on, we just want to have fun, right?" He kissed her again, his lips lingering on hers just long enough to make her long for him even more. Then he pulled back. "But then I'm expecting us to continue when I'm back home. Or tomorrow morning."

"I think I agree with that plan," Lindsay answered with a smirk. Gently, she slapped his arm. "Now be a good boy and get up. The sooner you get to work the sooner you can come back home."

With an amused chuckle, Lindsay watched Danny as he got up and headed into the bathroom. Half an hour later, he was on his way to the lab. Even though they were together for a while now, she found it hard to believe that they were indeed a couple. He was hers and he never got tired of showing her how much she really meant to him. It was the kind of relationship she had always dreamt of as a young girl.

She glanced up as the front door was opened. A new smile lit her face as Eva entered the living room,l carrying a large pizza box.

"Hey," she said. "I was hoping you'd still be up and in the mood for something good to eat."

"To celebrate your new job?" Lindsay asked back with a wink, sitting up straight. Clearing the coffee table, she added, "It's so great you applied for this job. And that you got it."

"Yes, it should be a nice challenge." Eva sat down next to her and placed the box on the table. "I can only imagine how much the media are bugging you when a killer is out there."

"Yeah, they like to ask us why we didn't catch them yet. Oh, and they love to say that the police isn't capable of doing their job because some killers aren't caught within the first few hours," Lindsay replied. Once again, she used the chance to study her sister for a couple of moments as she opened the pizza box. It still felt as if she was looking into a mirror. It would be interesting to work with Eva, to see her trying to handle the media. How different was her sister from her? And how much did they have in common?

"You know what's surprising me?" Eva asked then. "I'm nervous. Usually I'm never nervous, but now I am. It's a strange feeling."

"I was nervous as well when I started," Lindsay replied with an encouraging smile. "But there's no need to worry. They're a great team. You'll be a part of it within no time. And then you'll have friends who'll always be there for you. Especially when you need them the most." For a second, her expression turned serious as she remembered how much support especially Danny and Stella had offered when certain events from her past had come back to the surface.

Eva seemed to mirror her expression. "Sheldon mentioned something that happened to you. In the past," she said with hints of hesitation in her voice.

Lindsay nodded slowly. She had to think of the conversation she and Danny had had just a bit earlier. Did she trust in Eva enough to share this story of her past with her? Then again the woman next to her wasn't a new friend. She was her sister, a part of her family. Sooner or later, she would find out anyway.

"It was a rough time, but like I said, they were good friends for me," she started. "I don't really want to go into details right now. I got a letter asking me to testify in Montana." She hesitated for another moment, trying to prevent those old memories from rising again. "My friends were killed when I was a teenager. I was at a diner with them. I witnessed it from the bathroom."

"Oh my God." Eva covered her mouth in shock. "I'm so sorry."

Lindsay tried to offer a tiny smile. "It's fine now. He's in jail. It was hard to be reminded of it so much when I got this letter. I even pushed Danny away. But he and the others were there for me. It's a great feeling to be part of this team." Once again, she hesitated as another thought found its way into her mind. "I wonder how it'd been like to grow up with a sister. A twin."

"I guess it'd been wonderful to know there's always someone by your side," Eva answered. Her voice had quietened a lot.

Lindsay nodded. As a child, she had often wished one of her friends could have been her sister. A twin? That would have been even better. But as she watched Eva, she realised that her sister was in an even worse situation than her. Because unlike her, she knew nothing about the family she should have been a part of.

"Do you want me to tell you more about our parents and our brothers?" she asked then.

"Oh, of course," Eva answered, with tiny sparks of excitement in her eyes. She paused, staring at the coffee table for a moment before she glanced up again. "I didn't want to question you about them, but...well..."

"You're part of this family," Lindsay spoke out what she knew Eva had in mind. "I also think we shouldn't wait too long until we call our parents." She hesitated. "I still can't help the feeling that they didn't give you away. I'm sure there's more behind this. Maybe someone took you away from us. So I think they should know that you're here now. It's surely going to be hard for them, but finding out we're sisters wasn't easy for us either."

The smile Eva gave Lindsay in response warmed her heart. "Then maybe tonight, you could tell me a little more about our family and tomorrow, we'll call them."

"Very good idea," Lindsay agree. "So, what would you like to know?"

As she started to answer Eva's question, Lindsay could see in her sister's eyes how excited she was, but also how much it pained her that she wasn't part of any of those stories. They had agreed to make one step after the other but she couldn't help the thought that they shouldn't wait much longer. Their parents had some questions to answer and she agreed with Danny's theory. There was more behind this and probably the Monroes would be as surprised by those news as they had been a few days ago.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hello! :) Thanks so much for reviewing. Thanks also for reading. Here's a new chapter for you! Special thanks to RandomTVFan30, Daisy1966 and afrozenheart412!**

* * *

Eva had to admit she had been a little hesitant as she had joined Lindsay on the couch, had heard the story about her friends. Should she stay and ask more questions or should she back off and give her sister some privacy after bringing up this painful part of her past?

She had decided to push her concern aside then. Eva agreed with Lindsay; they had to get to know each other better. They would call their parents soon. Lindsay wanted them to get closer and closer, to intensify the connection which she knew existed despite the fact that they had been apart since the day of their birth.

They were sisters. They had to trust; there was no need to dance around each other. There were so many questions she had, so much she wanted to know and she was aware of the fact that Lindsay had a lot of questions herself.

They had been supposed to grow up together, to know every little detail about each other. This hadn't happened. Now they had the chance and they had to use it, had to talk, had to ask.

"So how was it like to grow up on a farm?" she asked, taking another slice of the pizza she had bought for them. She didn't want to question Lindsay about her friends even more; sooner or later, she would be able to listen to the whole story. There was no need to rush things at all.

"It was wonderful," Lindsay answered, with hints of hesitation in her voice. Eva didn't need to hear another word to know where this feeling was coming from.

"You aren't still feeling guilty, right?" she asked.

The sigh Lindsay released said more than words. "I don't know," she replied, shrugging. "I think it's just...I really want to tell you how I grew up, how our parents and brothers are. I want to share all those stories with you, but...I also know those will hurt you. Because you should've been there as well. Those should be memories we've shared. But they aren't. I know it's not my fault you didn't grown up with me. But I don't want you to feel uncomfortable when I get excited, when you listen to what I have to tell."

Eva responded with a warm smile. "I really want to listen to your stories," she said determined. "Lindsay, I want to know more about our family. I want to know how our parents are so badly. And our brothers! I...well, one day I want us to visit them in Montana and I want to know how it's like to be there. Of course it hurts to imagine that I should've been there as well. But I want to hear it anyway." Her smile widened a tiny bit. "Also don't forget that we can catch up now. Maybe we could go to Montana for a longer vacation and I can experience how it's like to be there. I bet Danny wants to meet our parents as well."

Lindsay chuckled. "He met them already when he came to support me while I had to testify. He only met them briefly though, so I bet spending a whole vacation with them should be a nice adventure for him."

"Exactly." Eva's expression turned serious again. "Now tell me. How is it like? How is our family?"

Lindsay smiled as well. Eva could feel her sister was still hesitant. But fortunately she had understood that there was nothing to hide, that she wasn't to blame.

"It was amazing to grow up on a farm," she started. "The farm house is pretty big. It's surrounded by fields. The forest is very near as well and in the distance, you can see the mountains. Their tops are covered with snow all year long." She paused. "Would you like to see photos?"

"Oh, of course." Eva nodded. She watched Lindsay as she got up to get the albums, her heart started to beat faster. So far, she had gotten occasional information about her family, but despite all her research, she hadn't found many pictures of her real family. For the first time, she would see how it looked like where her home had been supposed to be.

"This is the farm," Lindsay said as she sat down next to Eva again, pointing at the photo in question. "It's even bigger when you see it in reality. The view is stunning. From the window of my old bedroom, you have an amazing view across the fields at the mountains." She pointed at the next picture. "I took this in summer, it was such a beautiful day."

"Wow, that's really beautiful," Eva replied, indeed stunned by what she could see.

Lindsay nodded. With a warm smile, she opened the next page. "And here are our parents and our brothers. I think you know their names already. Hannah and Darren are our parents. Our brothers aren't much older than us. Brian is nine years older, Eric is five years older and Jason is two years older than us." She paused. "Are you alright? Do you want me to continue?"

Eva nodded slowly, not daring to look up. Those facts she knew, but now she had the faces to the names and dates. A strong lump was building in her throat, making it difficult to breath. The first tears were rising, slowly starting to fog her view.

"Okay," Lindsay answered softly. "Brian is what you'd call the typical business man. Since he was a child, he wanted to move away from the farm and into the city. Turned out he moved to Bozeman only, but he's working for a bank now. He's married to Alyson, a really sweet woman. They have an adorable little boy. His name is Damien. Eric owns a little restaurant in Bozeman. He and his girlfriend Sarah got engaged last year. And Jason is pretty much what my parents always hoped for; he loves to live and work on the farm. It's been his passion since he was little. He loves the farm work almost as much as our Dad does. Mom also loves to help them, but most of the time she's doing the housework. And if she's not busy with that, she's writing and painting. She's a very creative woman. So you see, we're all pretty different from each other."

Even if she had wanted to respond, Eva couldn't. The lump in her throat made it impossible for her to speak. No longer was she able to hold back her rising tears; the first ones were rolling down her cheeks already. Quickly, she tried to hide them with wiping them away. But Lindsay had spotted them already. Moving closer, she wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, in a warm, comforting voice.

"I am, really." Nodding, Eva managed to smile. "It's just so...overwhelming. I always wondered how my real family would be like. I had so many images in mind. Since I knew I have a twin sister, I wanted to know more about you guys even more badly. And now...it's just so...unbelievable. I don't know if that makes any sense."

"It does make perfect sense," Lindsay replied, running a hand through her sister's hair. "I know how overwhelmed I was when I first realised I have a twin. I mean, look at us. We're the perfect mirror reflection of each other. Even though we've been apart for so long, there's always been this connection between us and it's still there. I know that for a fact. This is so stunning to me. I can only imagine how it must feel like to you to see them."

Eva nodded, her smile widening a little bit more. "Do you still want us to call our parents soon?"

"Yes," Lindsay answered without a second of hesitation. "We'll call them tomorrow. It's about time they find out you're here now. I'm curious how they'll react." She paused once again. "I want you to finally feel like a real part of this family, and for that you have to talk to them. I want you to do that as soon as possible."

"Thank you," was all Eva managed to say. One glance into her sister's eyes was enough for her to know that Lindsay was being honest. She was happy to have her, she could feel the connection between them that seemed to get stronger with every day, especially in moments like this when they were so close. Only a few more hours and she would finally find out why they had been separated as babies.

* * *

Danny had returned shortly after midnight. Lindsay knew one glance at her had been enough for him to see all the thoughts that were running through her head. He knew her, sometimes better than she knew herself.

And she was glad for that. She and Eva had spent a couple of hours with looking through old photos, with sharing stories of their pasts. Eva's first reactions had broken her heart; indeed she could only imagine what was going on inside her sister.

It seemed as if she could feel her feelings. There was this closeness, this trust. The next day they would call their parents. Lindsay didn't want to wait any longer. It was about time that Eva really felt like part of the Monroes' family. She knew; within no time, they would feel as if they had really grown up together. All those years hadn't been able to break the bond that existed between twins and it would continue getting stronger and stronger.

"Are you still awake because of me or because of all the thoughts running around in your mind?" Danny asked as he returned into the bedroom, interrupting her in her thoughts. With a smile on his face, he joined her in bed, crawling over to her. Willingly, she let him pull her into his arms, holding her close. Those embraces never failed to comfort her, to make her feel happy and protected. She knew she could share every thought with him. He would always listen.

"I showed Eva told photos and told her about our family," she started. "It was a pretty intense conversation we had." Lindsay sighed, snuggling further into him. "Can you imagine? She should've grown up with me. She should've been part of this family all the time."

"But now she can be part of it," Danny replied, gently running a hand up and down her back in a soothing gesture. "I know it's hard, but you should stop thinking about the past and wondering how things should have been. You can't change that Eva grew up with other parents. Important is what you'll do now. You're already getting closer and closer. And soon or later, she'll meet the other family members, too. You can do a lot of catching up."

"That's what she said as well," Lindsay answered, smiling softly. "I told her I'd like us to call our parents tomorrow. Do you think it's a good idea?"

"Do you think it is a good idea?" Danny asked back.

Once again, she sighed. She had expected such a response. "I think so. I mean...I really don't think they just gave her away. They should know she's here. And she should be able to talk to them finally. She's their daughter. I think there's no reason to keep on waiting. Things are all crazy anyway."

"I guess such things are never just easy and can be planned into details," he replied, placing a loving kiss into her hair. "It's a good idea, don't worry. Would you like me to be there as well or do you want to be alone with her when you're calling them?"

Her smile widened lightly. "I wouldn't mind if you were there as well. Actually I'd be glad about it." She tightened her arms around him. "I hope I'm not involving you too much into this. But it feels so good to know that I have your support with this whole situation."

He chuckled. "You're sweet, you know that? I'm your boyfriend. I love you. I'd be seriously offended if you didn't involve me so much." He winked at her before he turned serious again. "Just tell me what you'd like me to do. I can be there when you make the call, I can also go into another room. Whatever you'd like."

Lindsay nodded. She knew Danny would do whatever she wanted him to do. He had shown to her more than once that he wouldn't hesitate to support her. This phone call wouldn't be easy, but it was important, for her and Eva.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hello! :) So, I thought it'd be nice to update again, so here it is; the chapter with the talk. I hope you'll like it! Thanks for reading! Thanks for reviewing! You're so sweet to me! Special thanks to RandomTVFan30, webdlfan, saderia, Daisy1966 and afrozenheart412!**

* * *

She could feel herself getting nervous as she was listening to the dial tone. Lindsay knew Danny hadn't completely disappeared into her bedroom like he had told her but was watching her and Eva closely. She couldn't deny she was grateful to know he was just a glance away.

But this phone call had to be made by her. Once again, Lindsay looked at Eva, finding her sister staring at the floor in front of her now. She could see how much she was trying to control herself.

Lindsay didn't know who of them was more nervous. Eva wouldn't have minded to wait longer until they would call their parents.

But Lindsay didn't want to wait. She wanted to have answers for all those questions spinning in her mind.

She had a twin sister who she hadn't known about. Since she had met Eva for the very first time, she had wondered how this was possible. She knew her parents, she knew how much they loved their children. She couldn't imagine that they would have given one of them away.

"We could still call them later," Eva said then, looking up again. "Maybe they're not even at home. There's no rush."

"There is," Lindsay replied. But before she could add more, she could hear the familiar voice of her mother at the other end of the phone. Quickly, she switched the loudspeaker on, not missing how Eva's expression changed within an instant.

"Hey Mom, it's me," Lindsay said, hoping her voice didn't reveal the nervousness that was getting almost unbearable at this point.

"Lindsay," Hannah Monroe greeted her daughter in surprise. "I didn't expect you to call today."

"Am I disturbing right now?" she wanted to know, once again looking at her sister. Eva was no longer staring at the floor. The sound of her mother's voice had made her forget everything else around her. The situation was difficult for her, too, but she could only imagine what her sister was going through at the moment.

"You never are, sweetie," Hannah replied, her voice revealing she had to be smiling. "You know we're always happy when you're calling, especially with your crazy shifts. How are you doing? And how's Danny?"

A tiny chuckle escaped Lindsay. Since Danny had visited her in Montana to offer his support and then had met her parents briefly, they always asked for him, too. He had impressed them; much to his relief.

"We're great," she said, cursing herself for the way her voice was shaking now. "How about you?"

"Everything's good," Hannah answered. Lindsay didn't miss that her mother's voice had changed as well. "So, how much small talk will we do until you tell me why exactly you're calling?"

A sigh escaped Lindsay at this question. She knew she could continue this game for a while, but there was no sense in doing so. Her mother had already noticed something was bothering her, and no matter when she would bring up the topic in question, it would be complicated.

"Why didn't you ever tell me I have a twin sister?" she asked then.

And had to listen to silence at the other end of the phone. Another glance at Eva revealed to her that the situation was getting unbearable for her sister. The question was out, but what would they get in response?

"Who told you about that?" Hannah wanted to know then, in a voice which Lindsay hadn't heard in a very long time.

She took a deep breath before she answered, "She appeared at my front door. She's actually sitting next to me right now." She paused. "I think you can imagine I was a little...overwhelmed when I found a perfect reflection of myself in front of me."

"What?" Hannah gasped. "She's..." Her voice trailed off. Lindsay could feel her heart racing at this point. How was she supposed to interpret her mother's reaction? What exactly was she shocked about?

"Mom?" was all she managed to ask.

"I'm sorry," Hannah answered, a tiny sob escaping her. "I'm sorry, this is just..." She sighed. "I...if your father hears that...he needs to know..."

"Mom, is everything okay?" Lindsay couldn't help but ask.

Once again, Hannah sighed. It took her another couple of long moments until she was able to reply. "Lindsay, I...can only imagine how many questions you're having now. But...one thing I can tell you for sure. We didn't separate you and your sister. We...didn't give her away. You have no idea how many years we've tried to find her."

"You didn't give me away?" Eva whispered, unable to speak louder. Tears were rising in her eyes now; tears which Lindsay was struggling with herself. She had expected that her parents hadn't given one of their children away; it wouldn't have fitted to their love for each of their children at all.

"What happened?" she asked then. She paused before she added, "Or do you want me to call again later? Do you want to talk to Dad first?"

"No, it's fine," Hannah answered, trying to control her voice as good as she could, couldn't hide the fact that she was crying though. "We...I think we never gave up hope that this day would come sooner or later. But still it just felt like a surreal dream." She took another break. "Like I said, we didn't give her away. In fact we...we were so excited when we found out we were having twins. Fine, we already had three boys, but we always wanted to have a big family. And twins...we always imagined it to be wonderful for a child to always have a companion by their side."

Once again, Hannah's voice trailed off. Lindsay could sense her mother's emotions, slightly feeling guilty that she had brought such an obviously painful topic up.

"We were happy to hear we'd have two girls," she continued then. "You two looked so perfect. Identical. But then...we still don't know how exactly it happened. They say it had been one of the nurses. She took your sister with her."

"They kidnapped her?" Lindsay asked shocked.

"Yes," Hannah answered, another sob escaping her. "It was so horrible to find out someone had taken away one of our babies. When they figured out the nurse had stolen her, they tried to find her. They did after all, but she didn't have your sister anymore. She said she had sold her to someone, but she had no names for the cops. We tried to find her, we never really gave up on that. But we weren't lucky." She paused again. "You often wondered why we were so overprotective with you sometimes. It was because of what happened to your friends, but also because of what happened to your sister. We always wished you would meet her one day. That you could have the twin you were supposed to have. But we didn't want to tell you about her because we knew it'd hurt you. We didn't want you to try and look for her and then be disappointed because you wouldn't find her either. I'm sorry we weren't honest to you."

"There's nothing to apologize for," Lindsay replied, unable to hold back her own tears. "I...always felt that you didn't just give her away and kept me. Your story...it fits. I saw the information that led her to me. Someone must have faked the papers for her adoptive parents, because the papers said she was given away by you and Dad at the day of her birth."

"It was the day when she was taken away from us," Hannah said, sadness in her voice. "The cops told us someone must have done a professional job here because they couldn't find her anywhere. Although it makes me wonder how she could find out about us but neither we nor the cops could find anything about her." She hesitated. "And you...didn't you say she's there, right there with you?"

Lindsay nodded. "Yes, do you want to talk to her? She's sitting next to me. She listened to everything you said."

"I'd love to," Hannah said. "Please."

Smiling, Lindsay switched the loudspeaker off and handed the phone over to Eva. With shaking hand, her crying sister took it from her, pressing it to her ear. Quietly, Lindsay got up, allowing her twin sister to have the conversation she had been longing for since her early childhood.

"You never had a doubt, right?" Danny asked as Lindsay joined him at the door of her bedroom. Gently, he wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace, placing a loving kiss onto her cheek.

"I knew they wouldn't have given away one of us," she replied, snuggling into him as much as she could in need of closeness. "But I still don't get how this is possible. How is it possible they never found anything about her? Why didn't they find the papers Eva has?"

She had more to add, but he silenced her with putting his index finger on her lips.

"We'll find out why no one found Eva earlier," Danny whispered softly. "But not now. You have a twin sister, a twin sister who's been taken away from your family such a long time ago. You're back together here. She's just becoming a part of your family again. That's all that matters."

"Yeah, I know." Looking up at him, Lindsay smiled. "It's crazy, isn't it? She's been here for a while, she even met our friends already, but still it feels so unreal to me. I have a twin. A twin sister."

"That you do," Danny replied, mirroring her smile. Gently, he ran a hand through her hair. "I guess a trip to Montana is in order soon."

"Oh yes," Lindsay answered with sparkling eyes. "A family meeting. She has to meet our parents in person. And our brothers! They'll freak out when they realise there are two of us." Once again, she glanced up at him. "Would you come with us?"

"I thought that was clear," he said with a wink. "Except you don't want me to."

"Don't be silly," she replied, wrapping her arms around his waist. Releasing a deep sigh, she added, "You have no idea how glad I am to have you now. This is so tough. I don't even want to imagine what it's like for Eva. Someone just kidnapped her and sold her as a baby, and she had to wait so many years to find out where she's really coming from."

"But she does seem to be happy now, right?" Danny asked, nodding his head towards the couch. "Stop feeling guilty. I know that's like a natural instinct for you, but stop it, okay?"

"Who says I'm feeling guilty?" Lindsay asked back.

Danny shrugged. "I know you. You feel guilty because it was her who had to grow up somewhere else. But what about you? You should have had her by your side, you should have grown up with her." He kissed her again. "Stop feeling guilty. She has four siblings now, and two sets of parents. She's happy."

"Me, too," Lindsay answered with a smile. She knew she had to listen to him. The fact Eva had been apart from them hadn't been her fault. The past also didn't matter; important was that they enjoyed their reunion now. "So you want to go to Montana with me and her?"

He smirked. "You want to tease me, huh? But that won't work. I like your family. And yeah, Montana's quite nice, too. So if you decide to visit them, I'd love to join you." He captured her lips in a loving kiss. "But now I'd suggest you go back to your sister while I order us some pizza. I guess you still have a lot to talk about."

Nodding, Lindsay returned into the living room while Danny called the pizzeria. Eva greeted her with an expression she hadn't seen in her sister's eyes yet. An expression she only understood too well. Eva knew; she hadn't been given away. Her family was eagerly looking forward to showing her how welcome she was. And once again, she noticed it; the invisible bond that was uniting them, and always had, even during all these years they had been apart.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: New chapter. :) I hope you'll enjoy reading it. Thanks for reading! Thanks for reviewing! I'm really glad you're still reading! Special thanks to RandomTVFan30, webdlfan, Daisy1966, saderia and afrozenheart412!**

* * *

She was sitting at one of the tables in the break room of the Crime Lab, with a smile on her face enjoying what she had bought for lunch. Eva had been told to come to this room in her lunch breaks; it was the best way to meet Lindsay's friends, to get to know them better.

The idea had had an amusing side effect; a lot of people still didn't know that Eva was Lindsay's twin and, like her friends before, had mistaken her as their well know co-worker.

Everyone had been nice and welcoming though, just like she had hoped. New York was becoming home again for her.

A new family, new friends, a new job. She couldn't be happier than she was now.

Shaking her head, she pushed the memories of La Roca out of her mind. She was sure that Berto was happy and well with his cousin. He would be there for him, would make sure the boy got everything he needed.

Still thinking back hurt her and she knew it would for a very long time. She wasn't alone anymore; in fact she had more people around her now than she had had in years. But it didn't wipe away the pain she had felt the moment the little boy had been taken away from her again.

A farm, a husband, siblings for Berto. She had seen it all in front of her, had been able to imagine it so clearly. And then, within a matter of seconds, her chance to create her own little family had been taken away from her in form of a cousin who had come to pick Berto up.

Eva couldn't deny she had been torn. She had been happy for the boy, for his family member who had been looking for him so desperately. But she couldn't help the pain caused by the fact that her dream had been shattered so easily.

Fortunately it had led her to making another big step; a big step that had helped her to discover her family, her twin sister even. Eva knew; even if there was no chance for her to ever adopt Berto, this didn't mean her secret dream couldn't still come true. There were more children she could adopt; children who needed a home, just like she had needed one. Children who needed a parent who would be there for them, would make them feel loved.

It also didn't mean she couldn't find herself a decent man one day, having children with him. She could make all this come true if she liked.

"Look who's there."

The amused voice of Don Flack interrupted Eva in her thoughts. With a grin on her face, he joined her in the break room.

"Is it so fascinating I'm here?" she asked back.

Don shrugged. "I guess we all need some time to get used to the fact there are two of you." He chuckled. "Luckily you don't have the same clothes and hairstyle."

"Yet," Eva answered with a wink. She watched as Don joined her at her table, studying her curiously. "Still in disbelief that I'm her twin?"

Don shook his head. "Nah, it's just fascinating." He paused. "Sheldon said you've talked to your parents already?"

Eva smiled. After she had finished the emotional phone call with her family, she had called Sheldon to let him know. The doctor had been happy and excited for her, like she had expected. Even a day after this phone call, she was still amazed, still overwhelmed by it. For so many years, she had imagined how it would be like to find her real family, how it would feel like to talk to them. She hadn't been prepared for such strong emotions, such an endless happiness.

They wanted to welcome her, soon they would go on a little trip to Montana, to meet over there. Her family was happy to have her back; more than she would have ever hoped for.

"Yes, we talked on the phone yesterday," she answered, her smile widening. "It was nice to hear their voice. And to know they're happy to have me back. I didn't even want to dare and dream of that. But I doubt you want to listen to that." She chuckled. "And you don't have to. Sheldon was a good listener already. So were my sister and Danny."

"Oh, I don't mind," Don replied quickly. Leaning in, he added, "I mean, we all are still wondering why you two were apart in the first place. But I get if you don't want to talk about that yet."

Eva shrugged. "I don't mind. Someone took me away from them. They tried to find me, but it didn't work. Until I found them. Long story short, they're happy to have me back. I'm glad about that. There's nothing more frightening than reaching out to your birth family, not knowing how they'll react to you."

Don nodded. She could see the curiosity in his eyes; he wanted to hear more. As a media expert and former journalist, she knew how to read in people's eyes; it had helped her to get information out of them. He was fascinated by hers and her sister's story. But he also knew that questioning her was a step too much, especially right now.

"I know Sheldon's turning into something like a bestie for you," Don said then. "But if you ever feel like having a chat, I'm a good listener."

"Thank you, Don," Eva replied with a smile. "I'll definitely get back to that one day."

Don nodded satisfied. Once again, he studied her before he added, "So how's the new job? More stressful than working for the NIH?"

Eva laughed. "I think being in my position is stressful everywhere, no matter if you're dealing with a crime scene or with those cases we had to handle at the NIH. People want to have information, the media want to have the big stories. And of course they want all the big information which I'm not allowed to give them. So as different as your work is from theirs, handling the media is similar in both cases."

Don smirked. "I think I couldn't do that job. These journalists...they're driving me crazy. They walk up to the crime scene, stepping right into your evidence and ask questions while the vic is still lying there, right in front of everyone. I feel like kicking their ass on a regular base. I wouldn't be able to actually answer one of their questions."

Eva grinned back at him. "Well, I've been working as a journalist myself before I started at the NIH."

Don's eyes widened in surprise. Then the smirk returned. "I bet you were one of the nice journalists."

"Don't be so sure about that," Eva replied. "But now you don't have to worry anymore. If a journalist is bugging you, just call me and I'll do the ass kicking for you."

Don laughed. "I'm not sure the bosses are aware of how good their decision to hire you really was. Now tell me, how many asses did you kick today?"

* * *

An amused smile lit his face as Danny entered Lindsay's apartment, finding his girlfriend sleeping on her living room couch. She had been called into work in the middle of the night, had returned home around an hour ago. Obviously she hadn't found her way into her bed yet.

Quietly, he made his way over to her, lay down in front of her as good as he could. And then, he just studied her. He knew; his friends would make fun of her if they knew he loved to lie next to his girlfriend, watching her while she was sleeping.

But he couldn't help himself. She was sweet, she was beautiful. He couldn't get enough of her, in so many ways. She was his, and still that felt so unbelievable to him sometimes.

Reaching out, he brushed his fingers over her cheek gently, ever so lightly not to wake her up or startle her.

He knew; the previous day had been even more exhausting for her than working in the middle of the night. He couldn't deny he was glad she had made he step and had called her parents. Because Danny knew; not knowing why Eva hadn't grown up together with her had bothered Lindsay.

He knew she had felt guilty and he also knew that just telling her she had no reason to feel like that was too easy. He could only imagine how confused she had been; knowing her parents so well, unable to believe they would have been able to give one of their children away.

Danny had to face tough, confusing family situations before, but he could only imagine how his girlfriend had felt like during the last couple of days. He knew; emotions could exhaust. Bending down, he placed a loving kiss onto Lindsay's cheeks, sighing at himself as she stirred and blinked.

"You're back," she said sleepily as she opened her eyes, just enough to glance up at him. His heart was beating faster at the sweet sight. She never failed to amaze him with the feelings she could cause deep within him, with just little gestures.

"Don't you think sleeping in bed is more comfortable?" Danny wanted to know, brushing her curls out of her face.

Lindsay yawned. "I wanted to sit down for a moment. You know I'm not so much fan of working at night." She yawned again. "But I must've fallen asleep." Wrapping her arms around his waist, she snuggled into him.

"Are you feeling better now?" he wanted to know, gently running his hands up and down her back. Even though they were together for a while now, even embracing her already caused a strong warmth deep within him. He knew she loved him, as much as he loved her. There had been a time when he had wondered if he was able to experience such a feeling in the first place.

Could he fall in love? Now he knew he could. And this strong feeling didn't care him anymore. He knew she belonged to him; there was no doubt about that. Glancing down at her, he smiled. She was his. And for the first time, he could imagine himself getting married. To her.

His eyes widened as his thoughts reached this point. Getting married? The thought had once scared him. Now, as he was watching her, it sounded so appealing to him. His cheeks started to flush softly at the realisation of a wish which he hadn't been aware of until now.

"I am," Lindsay answered his question then. "I think I just needed some sleep, that's all." She tightened her arms around him. "I've been so confused during the last few days. I've felt so stressed. I mean...suddenly there's Eva, I had no idea why she didn't grow up with me, why I didn't know anything about her. I'm so glad we sorted that out now. And I bet so is Eva."

"She really seems to feel comfortable here," Danny replied, trying to concentrate on their conversation. His sudden ideas were distracting him though.

She nodded. "I'm so glad about that. I mean, she deserves it so much. You remember what she said about the little boy she wanted to adopt? She must have felt so lonely when she returned." She sighed. "You know, this might sound silly to you, but it feels to me like I know her for ages already. As if we hadn't been apart all the time."

"Technically you do know each other for ages," he answered. "Don't try to question your feelings or feel silly because of them. There is this special connection between you and it'll get stronger, especially when you'll have a proper family reunion."

"You?" Lindsay asked. Looking up at him, she raised her eyebrows. "I'd rather say we."

"Well, I'm talking about your family members," Danny replied.

"So do I," she told him. "You are part of my family." She paused. "I know you and I aren't married and I won't start even mentioning that. I know you've not been so much into that topic and I don't want to scare you away with that. But I do see you as part of my family and so do they. We're together and we love each other. So we'll have a nice family reunion. Okay?"

"Okay," he answered. "So what do you say? You'd like us to head to the bedroom and sleep in a proper bed?"

"Sounds good to me," she said.

Danny smiled as Lindsay wrapped her arms around his neck, her legs around his hips, cuddling with him. She was right; so far the marriage topic hadn't come up between them. He was happy about the fact that she saw him as part of her family. But he couldn't deny the wish to become an official part of it.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hello, sweet reviewers! :) I have a new update for you! Have fun with it! Thanks for reading! Thanks for reviewing! Special thanks to saderia, RandomTVFan30, Daisy1966 and afrozenheart412!**

* * *

A month had passed since Eva had moved to New York, had started to work for the NYPD. A lot had happened since her arrival. Back then, she had just had a few rare information, unsure if her biological family wanted to have anything to do with her.

Now she was an accepted part of her family and even though they hadn't managed to go on a little trip to Montana, this was a big plan they were working on. Soon she would meet her parents and her other siblings.

Eva couldn't deny she had felt slightly nervous because of this huge step she had made, without knowing how her plan would turn out. Would she be accepted or would they want to have nothing to do with her?

Fortunately she had listened to her heart and her heart had led her to making the right decision. She was part of the family, had a new job, a new home. Everything was different, and so much better.

"Someone's having happy thoughts, huh?"

The amused voice of Sheldon interrupted Eva in her thoughts. She smiled as he joined her at her table in the break room. Sheldon had become a close friend for her during this month. It had fascinated her, how quickly she had become a decent part of this team, although she wasn't even working at the lab itself.

"How can I not have happy thoughts?" Eva asked back. "I've been on the phone with my parents again yesterday. We had a nice chat. There's so much they have to tell me. So much I want to know. I don't even know where to start with all my questions."

Sheldon laughed. "There's no need to hurry. And you're sharing the apartment with one of your best sources."

Eva nodded in agreement. "I think she still feels a little guilty because she could grow up with them and I was kidnapped back then."

"I can imagine," Sheldon replied. "That's how she is. It's not her fault though. There's no sense in feeling guilty."

"Exactly," Eva agreed. "But like you said, that's how she is. She said she also felt guilty after what happened to her friends. Guilt isn't really a feeling you can control, or that makes sense." She wanted to add more, but was interrupted as the elevator in the distance opened its doors. Her smile widened into a smirk as Don left it. He was another friend who she loved to have around as much as possible.

She watched as he made his way down the hallway, concentrating on the folder he was holding. Briefly, he looked up as he neared the break room. As he spotted her, a broad smile lit his own face. He waved at her, almost bumping into a lab tech. She chuckled as he disappeared into Mac's office then.

"You know he likes you?" Sheldon asked then, once again interrupting her in her thoughts.

"Well, I hope he does," Eva replied. "Like you like me. And the others."

Sheldon playfully rolled his eyes at her. "I wasn't talking about that and you know it. He likes you a lot. In a different way than friends like each other. The way Danny and Lindsay wanted us to like each other at the beginning."

Eva raised her eyebrows. "No, I don't think so. Why should he? I can already be glad he likes me in the first place. I'm a media person after all."

Sheldon shook his head in amusement. "So? He doesn't like reporters because they get into the way at crime scenes and he doesn't like lawyers so much either, because they try to get our suspects free and mess with our collected evidence. You're one of the good ones in his eyes. Because you keep these people away from us."

"You have a crazy way of thinking," Eva replied with a chuckle. "Still I don't see what you're trying to tell me here. We're getting along very well, that's all."

"I have to say you're surprising me, Eva," Sheldon answered, with a little smirk of himself. "I thought you're so good with reading people's minds. Yet you don't see through him? Didn't you see how he almost fell over his own feet just because he saw you and had to wave at you? When will you go out with him next time?"

"I'm never going out with him," Eva answered. "We're just meeting for a little drink after work sometimes. Best way to calm down from the stress."

"Call it whatever you like," Sheldon said. "But next time you'll meet him, pay better attention and keep my words in mind. You'll see that he's not acting like he does around other females. He's interested in you."

For a couple of moments, Eva watched Don in silence as he was talking to Mac. She had to admit Sheldon's words surprised her. There had been some tension between them at the beginning, which was the reason why Danny and Lindsay had expected them to start something more sooner or later.

After a short while though, they had decided that a friendship was more appealing to them. But what about her and Don? So far, she had never wasted a thought on this topic. She loved to meet him after work, for a few drinks, for a few chats. It was great, also fun and relaxing after a long day at work.

But Don being interested in her? Eva didn't know what to think of this statement.

"Just pay attention to his behaviour next time you'll meet," Sheldon added. "Now come on, let's change the topic if this is confusing you."

"Oh, it's not confusing me," she told him, knowing that she hadn't convinced him though. "Well, I'll pay attention, but I think you've misinterpreted something."

Sheldon only grinned in response. Eva knew; he was convinced by his words and she wouldn't be able to change his mind. She also couldn't deny though that she was curious. If there were hints that Don was interested in her, she should be able to notice them.

* * *

It had been a long shift, but this time Lindsay had to admit she liked she had to start so early in the morning. Because now she had enough time for a little walk in the park. It was a beautiful warm day, the sun was shining. A perfect day for a walk in Central Park.

Lindsay couldn't deny she still thought of Montana sometimes. There had been the forests, the mountains, she had been able to go on walks for hours, with nothing else but nature around her.

New York was different. There was no single place where it was really quiet. Even in Central Park, the noises of the city were present everywhere.

But to her own surprise, she didn't mind. New York had become her home, just like Montana. She loved this city.

And she couldn't see herself moving back. Lindsay knew Danny was still wondering if she regretted her decision to move from the quiet country into such a busy city. She didn't mind to repeat that his home was hers as well. She wouldn't just move back to Montana. Especially not when he would stay in New York.

A smile lit her face as she sat down on a bench near one of the park's lakes. Their relationship had gotten so strong since the day they had met for the first time. Still she could remember how he had teased her, how she had wondered if he even liked her.

Very soon, and so obvious to everyone, things had changed between them. They had been a great team, so they had been put together on cases more and more often. They had spent more time with each other, had started to discover how interesting the other one really was.

And then, it had just happened. Lindsay didn't know when exactly she had fallen in love with Danny. But one thing she knew for sure; she had been certain about his feelings for her when he hadn't backed off, when he had come to Montana just to be there for her.

Lindsay knew, giving their relationship a try had been the best decision she could have made. They fitted together. She could count on him, she could trust in him, like he could trust in her.

Still she had been careful when their relationship had started. Was he really willing to have a serious relationship, the way she imagined it?

By now, she had the answer for her question. Once again, he had proven to her that he would offer her support whenever she needed it. When Eva had shown up, he had been there to offer advice, he had welcomed her without any hesitation, knowing how important that was for her.

He was her boyfriend, a wonderful partner. Their relationship seemed to get stronger and stronger.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

The expression in her eyes as she looked up had to be as surprised as the sound of Danny's voice. She hadn't heard how he had approached her.

"I could ask you the same," Lindsay replied, instinctively moving closer as he sat down next to her. "Shouldn't you be working?"

"I am actually working," Danny answered, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, pulling her even closer. "There's a crime scene not too far away from here. I saw you, so I thought I'd say hello."

"That's sweet of you." Leaning in, she placed a sweet kiss onto his cheek.

"So why are you here?" he repeated his former question. "After such a long shift, shouldn't you be at home, snuggling in bed and sleeping?"

Lindsay chuckled. "Yeah, maybe, but I can't really sleep so well when it's still so early." She hesitated, cursing herself as her cheeks flushed softly. "That might sound silly to you, but I also can't sleep so well when you're not around." She paused again. "Don't laugh, I know it's idiotic."

"I don't think it is," Danny replied, to her surprise without any hints of teasing in his voice. "Keep that to yourself, but I also find it hard to sleep when you're at work, or at your own apartment. I guess we're used to each other so much. I don't see why that's a bad thing. It just shows how close we are now. And that's a good thing."

"So true," she agreed. "But why am I supposed to keep that to myself?"

"Hello?" He shook his head playfully. "Because if you say I can't sleep when my girlfriend isn't snuggling into me, they guys'll laugh at me."

Lindsay couldn't hold back a chuckle of her own. "Is that so? Aww, poor you. Weren't you taught that you have to listen to what your heart is telling you instead of doing what the mass does?"

"I'm not a kid anymore!" Danny complained. With a wink, he kissed her again. "But really, I think it's a good thing. I never thought I'd be so close to someone one day. At least not to a girlfriend."

"Well, my apartment would become a little crowded if you moved in there as well," Lindsay teased gently.

"Then you should just let Eva take your apartment over and move in with me instead," Danny replied surprisingly quick. To her confusion, his own cheeks flushed a little this time. He looked away as he added, "Crazy idea, huh?"

"I wouldn't say that," Lindsay replied. She could feel a sudden rush of excitement inside her as she watched his behaviour. She knew; he hadn't been joking. In fact his behaviour had caught her attention a while ago already. Obviously she wasn't the only one who wanted their relationship to get even more serious.

"I think I better hurry now or they'll kick my butt because I'm not working," he said then. "But I'd like to talk to you about something later."

"Okay, sure," she answered. "Sounds good to me."

Still surprised, Lindsay watched Danny as he headed back to their colleagues who she had already spotted in the distance. He was a fascinating man; his eyes and the tone of his voice often said more than words could. He had something in mind for a while. Moving in together was just one of these ideas. She couldn't deny she was curious. What did he want to talk about? She would be patient and wait until he would start the topic, but she would also encourage him to share his ideas with her.


End file.
